Mormon Home Evening

Is the Mormon Jesus of Christmas the same Jesus of Christianity?

2011-12-10T20:25:00.000-06:00

I truly enjoy the Christmas Season and all that it entails. I love singing the traditional hymns and carols of Christmas. So many of the old traditional hymns tell of the various aspects of that most significant event, the birth of our Savior. In all of its simplicity, no greater contrast exists between Christianity and Mormonism, than the first verse of Silent Night:

Silent night! Holy night! All is calm, all is bright

Round yon virgin mother and child.

Holy Infant, so tender and mild,

Sleep in heavenly peace; sleep in heavenly peace.

I am quite sure that during this past holiday season the Mormon Tabernacle Choir was seen on many prominent TV shows and you probably heard them sing this song. Of a surety, Mormon Chapels across the world sang this song also. WHY? Why do the Mormons sing this song when their doctrine, espoused by their Prophets and Apostles, directly contradicts and denies the virgin birth of our Lord and Savior!

Here are 6 quotes from Mormon Prophets and Apostles that clearly show that the Mormon Church does not believe in the Christian Foundational belief of the Virgin Birth:

BEGOTTEN LIKE MAN

(1) Brigham Young explained the birth of Christ in the following manner: “The birth of the Saviour was as natural as are the births of our children; it was the result of natural action. He partook of flesh and blood—was begotten of his Father, as we were of our fathers.” (Journal of Discourses, Vol 8, page 115)

NOT BEGOTTEN BY THE HOLY GHOST

(2) In a sermon delivered in the Tabernacle on April 19, 1852, Brigham Young made the following statements: “I have given you a few leading items upon this subject, but a great deal more remains to be told. Now remember from this time forth, and for ever, that JESUS CHRIST WAS NOT BEGOTTEN BY THE HOLY GHOST.” (Journal of Discourses, Vol 1, page 51

NOT A MIRACULOUS BIRTH

(3) Heber C. Kimball, who was the First Counselor to Brigham Young, making him the second highest leader in the Mormon Church made this statement: “In relation to the way in which I look upon the works of God and his creatures, I will say that I was naturally begotten; so was my father, and also MY SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST. According to the Scriptures, he is the first begotten of his father in the flesh, and there was NOTHING UNNATURAL ABOUT IT. (Journal of Discourses, Vol 8, page 211)

GOD IS A MAN AND FATHERED HIM

(4) President Joseph Fielding Smith, the 10^th Prophet of the Mormon Church, made this statement: “Christ was begotten of God. HE WAS NOT BORN WITHOUT THE AID OF MAN, AND THAT MAN WAS GOD!” (Doctrines of Salvation, Vol 1, page 18)

GOD THE HOLY MAN FATHERED JESUS NATURALLY

(5) Mormon Apostle Bruce R. McConkie makes the following statements: “These name-titles all signify that our Lord is the only Son of the Father in flesh. Each of the words is to be understood literally. Only means only; Begotten means begotten; and Son means son. Christ was begotten by an Immortal Father in the same way that mortal men are begotten by mortal fathers.” (Mormon Doctrine, 1966, pp. 546-547) “And Christ was born into the world as the literal son of this Holy Being; he was born in the same personal, real, and literal sense that any mortal son is born to a mortal father. There is nothing figurative about his paternity; he was begotten, conceived and born in the normal and natural course of events,…Christ is the Son of Man, meaning that his Father (the Eternal God!) is a Holy Man.” (Mormon Doctrine, 1966, page 742)

NEITHER THE BIBLE OR BOOK OF MORMON TEACH THE VIRGIN BIRTH

(6) Joseph Fielding Smith, the 10^th Prophet of the Mormon Church, stated: “They tell us the Book of Mormon states that Jesus was begotten of the Holy Ghost. I CHALLENGE THAT STATEMENT. The Book of Mormon teaches NO SUCH THING! NEITHER DOES THE BIBLE.” (Doctrines of Salvation, Vol 1, page 19)

The beautiful Christmas story given to us in Matthew and Luke’s gospels most assuredly tell of the virgin birth, and that Joseph was to have no fear in taking Mary to be his wife as the child within her was of the Holy Ghost. Quote number (6) above states that neither the Bible nor Book of Mormon teaches the virgin birth. As I’ve already said in this paragraph, reading the Christmas Story in Matthew and Luke will quickly show that Joseph Fielding Smith was in error in reference to the Bible. Well, he was also in error in reference to the Book of Mormon. 1 Nephi chapter 11 verses 18 through 21 clearly contradict quote (6):

18. And he said unto me: Behold, the virgin, whom thou seest is the mother of the Son of God, after the manner of the flesh.

19. And it came to pass that I beheld that she was carried away in the Spirit; and after she had been carried away in the Spirit for the space of a time the angel spake unto me, saying: Look!

20. And I looked and beheld the virgin again, bearing a child in her arms.

21. And the angel said unto me: Behold the Lamb of God, yea, even the Son of the Eternal Father!…

THE BOOK OF MORMON DENIES JESUS’ BIRTH AT BETHLEHEM

The Book of Mormon states that Jesus was born “at Jerusalem.”

Alma 7:10 “And behold, he shall be born of Mary, at Jerusalem…”

Matthew, Luke and John all tell of Jesus being born in Bethlehem and Micah 5:2 is one of the Messianic Prophecies:

“But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.”

The Mormons will argue that Alma 7:10 is referring to “The Land of Jerusalem,” which includes Bethlehem. Look at any map of Israel and you’ll find that area referred to as Judea. I did a word search on Bible software and not one time can you find the words “Land of Jerusalem.” Only one time is Jerusalem called by any other name than being referred to itself singularly: in Luke 24:49, Jerusalem is referred to as the “city of Jerusalem.”

The words “at Jerusalem” are used 87 times in the Bible. Each and every time they mean what they say—at Jerusalem. So, for the Mormon apologists to try to explain away the absolute mistake of the Mormon Prophet Alma in the Book of Mormon—Well folks, that dog don’t hunt! The Book of Mormon, “The most correct book on the face of the earth,” gets it wrong when it comes to the birthplace of the Savior. OOPS!!

JESUS MARRIED AT THE WEDDING IN CANA AND FATHERED CHILDREN

“Jesus was the bridegroom at the marriage of Cana of Galilee, and told them what to do. Now there was actually a marriage; and if Jesus was not the bridegroom on that occasion, please tell who was. If any man can show this, and prove that it was not the Savior of the world, then I will acknowledge I am in error. We say it was Jesus Christ who was married, to be brought into the relation whereby he could see his seed, before he was crucified…I shall say here, that before our Savior died, he looked upon his own natural children, as we look upon ours;…” (A Lecture by Mormon Apostle Orson Hyde, delivered at the General Conference, in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, October 6, 1854, Journal of Discourses, Vol 2, page 82)

JESUS AND GOD ARE POLYGAMISTS

“…the Son followed the example of his Father, and became the great Bridegroom to whom kings daughters and many honorable Wives were to be married. We have also proved that both God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ inherit their wives in eternity as well as in time;…” (Mormon Apostle Orson Pratt, The Seer, page 172)

JESUS PERSECUTED AND CRUCIFIED BECAUSE HE WAS A POLYGAMIST

“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 they were “Mormons.” (Jedediah M. Grant, Second Counselor to Brigham Young, the 3^rd highest position in the Mormon Church, Journal of Discourses, Vol 1, page 346)

In conclusion, the above quotes show that the Doctrines of the Mormon Church concerning the birth of Jesus and who He was are as far apart as the east is from the west, when compared to the foundational teachings of Christianity! The above quotes show:

1. Jesus was not born of a virgin

2. Jesus’ birth was not a miracle

3. Jesus was not born in Bethlehem

4. Jesus was married at the wedding in Cana

5. Jesus was a polygamist and fathered children

6. Jesus was persecuted and crucified because he was a polygamist.

ARE THE ABOVE TWO PAGES OF QUOTES THE BIBLICAL JESUS OF CHRISTIANITY, WHOSE BIRTH WE CELEBRATE DURING THIS CHRISTMAS SEASON; OR ARE THE ABOVE QUOTES THE FANTASY OF A FALSE RELIGION?

The emphasis in the above quotes are mine.
by Rocky Hulse

www.MormonOutreach.org

© 2002 Mormon Missions Midwest Outreach, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Malta vs The Book of Mormon

2011-09-22T15:09:00.000-05:00

Malta and “The Book of Mormon”

by Rocky Hulse

January 2005

What possible relationship could there be between Malta and “The Book of Mormon”?

I left Mayport, Florida, Monday morning June 7^th 2004 for an overseas deployment onboard the USS JOHN F KENNEDY (JFK) CV-67, heading for the Persian Gulf in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. On June 26^th the JFK pulled into Valletta, Malta for five days of liberty (rest and relaxation). While there, I took a tour of the “National Museum of Archaeology” in Valletta. There I found out some of the fascinating history of the small island nation of Malta.

Malta is in the center of the Mediterranean Sea just below Sicily and above Libya (see above).

Malta consists of three small inhabited islands in the center of the Mediterranean Sea: Malta, Gozo and Comino. These three islands together boast a land area of only 122 square miles. How small is that? Well, Rhode Island, the smallest state is only 1045 square miles in size; thus, Rhode Island is 8 ½ times larger than Malta.

For me the history of Malta from the Phoenicians to the Byzantine era was particularly interesting. The Phoenicians came to Malta in 750 B.C., and the Byzantine era lasted through 870 A.D. when the Arabs overran the island. The Roman Empire occupied the island from 218 B.C. through 535 A.D. when the Byzantine era began. This timeframe, 750 B.C. – 870 A.D., overlaps the prominent declared period of the Book of Mormon, 600 B.C. to 421 A.D. “The main part of the work deals with the period from 600 B.C. to 421 A.D. during which the Nephite, Lamanite, and Mulekite civilizations flourished.” (Mormon Doctrine, pg 93.)

The complete timeframe of the Book of Mormon is from 2247 B.C. to 421 A.D. “It contains the fullness of the everlasting gospel (D. & C. 20:9; 42:12; 135:3) and an abridged account of God’s dealings with the ancient inhabitants of the American continent from about 2247 B.C. to 421 A.D.” (Mormon Doctrine, pg 92.) Only one book in the Book of Mormon, the Book of Ether, deals with the years prior to 600 B.C. As previously stated, the majority of the Book of Mormon deals with the years 600 B.C. to 421 A.D., which timeframe is covered by the Phoenician to Byzantine Era in Malta’s history.

ARCHAEOLOGY IN MALTA

While walking through the “National Museum of Archaeology” in Valletta, I stopped and viewed with great interest the displays of coins recovered from the archaeological digs on the islands of Malta and Gozo. These coins, beautifully preserved, begin in the Phoenician era and continue on through the entirety of Maltese history. Two tiers of coins where displayed for the Phoenician timeframe: one labeled Melita and the other labeled Gaulos. Melita and Gaulos are the ancient names of the islands of Malta and Gozo respectively.

I found this display simply fascinating. Here I was on the tiny island nation of Malta looking at coins left by the Phoenicians from their reign on Malta, circa 750 B.C. to 218 A.D. Not only were coins displayed, but extensive information about the archaeological digs and information these digs have yielded; things such as the names of kings and rulers from the Phoenicians to modern time. A very clear and colorful history of this small island nation was there to be discovered in this museum.

These discoveries made me reflect on the claims of Mormonism with respect to the Book of Mormon. What archaeology do we have with respect to the Book of Mormon? Answer: None!

CLAIMS ABOUT THE BOOK OF MORMON

Mormonism claims that the Book of Mormon is an historical record of an ancient civilization on this, the American Continent, which had its beginning in a group of Jews who fled Jerusalem in the year 600 B.C., and built boats by which they migrated to the Americas.

“The Book of Mormon is a volume of holy scripture comparable to the Bible. It is a record of God’s dealings with the ancient inhabitants of the Americas and contains, as does the Bible, the fulness of the everlasting gospel.

The book was written by many ancient prophets by the spirit of prophecy and revelation. Their words, written on gold plates, were quoted and abridged by a prophet-historian named Mormon. The record gives an account of two great civilizations. One came from Jerusalem in 600 B.C., and afterward separated into two nations, known as the Nephites and the Lamanites. The other came much earlier when the Lord confounded the tongues at the Tower of Babel. This group is known as the Jaredites. After thousands of years, all were destroyed except the Lamanites, and they are the principal ancestors of the American Indians.” (INTRODUCTION, Book of Mormon, 1981.)

BOOK OF MORMON CLAIMS ABOUT COINS

The introduction to Chapter 11 of the book of Alma in the Book of Mormon says “Nephite coinage set forth.” Versus 4-19 of Alma 11 layout this monetary system:

Now these are the names of the different pieces of their gold, and of their silver, according to their value. And the names are given by the Nephites, for they did not reckon after the manner of the Jews who were at Jerusalem; neither did they measure after the manner of the Jews; but they altered their reckoning and their measure, according to the minds and the circumstances of the people, in every generation, until the reign of the judges, they having been established by king Mosiah.
Now the reckoning is thus—a senine of gold, a seon of gold, a shum of gold, and a limnah of gold.
A senum of silver, an amnor of silver, an ezrom of silver, and an onti of silver.
A senum of silver was equal to a senine of gold, and either for a measure of barely, and also for a measure of every kind of grain.
Now the amount of a seon of gold was twice the value of a senine.
And a shum of gold was twice the value of a seon.
And a limnah of gold was the value of them all.
And an amnor of silver was as great as two senums.
And an ezrom of silver was as great as four senums.
And an onti was as great as them all.
Now this is the value of the lesser numbers of their reckoning—
A shiblon is half of a senum; therefore, a shiblon for half a measure of barley.
And a shiblum is a half of a shiblon.
And a leah is the half of a shiblum.
Now this is their number, according to their reckoning.
Now an antion of gold is equal to three shiblons.

BOOK OF MORMON CLAIMS ABOUT METALLURGY IN THE AMERICAS

The book of Mormon speaks of swords, steel swords, in the first group of peoples, the Jaredites, which came to the new world at the time of the Tower of Babel:

9. Wherefore, he came to the hill Ephraim, and he did molten out of the hill, and made swords out of steel for those whom he had drawn away with him; and after he had armed them with swords he returned to the city Nehor, and gave battle unto his brother Corihor, by which means he obtained the kingdom and restored it unto his father Kib. (Ether 7:9.)

The second group, the Nephites and Lamanites, which migrated to the new world around 600 B.C., also were well versed in metallurgy:

15. And I did teach my people to build buildings, and to work in all manner of wood, and of iron, and of copper, and of brass, and of steel, and of gold, and of silver, and of precious ores, which were in great abundance.

16. And I, Nephi, did build a temple; and I did construct it after the manner of the temple of Solomon save it were not built of so many precious things; for they were not to be found upon the land, wherefore, it could not be built like unto Solomon’s temple. But the manner of the construction was like unto the temple of Solomon; and the workmanship thereof was exceedingly fine. (2 Nephi 5:15-16).

I left verse 16 in above, just to show how it immediately contradicts verse 15. Verse 15 says there was silver and gold and precious ores in great abundance; and, then along comes verse 16 immediately after it and says the temple couldn’t be built like Solomon’s because precious things could not be found upon the land.

Ah, the Book of Mormon is its own worst enemy! As can be clearly seen from the quotes above from the book of Mormon, it says of itself that the people were well versed, in fact instructed, in iron, brass, copper, steel, gold, silver and precious ores.

WHERE ARE THE BOOK OF MORMON COINS AND SWORDS?

The simple answer to this section is: there aren’t any. They don’t exist. No Book of Mormon coinage, swords or any advanced metallurgy artifacts have ever been found.

ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE BOOK OF MORMON

ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE BIBLE

The blank space above in the section marked “ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE BOOK OF MORMON” is not a mistake. The blank space is equal to all the archaeology that has been found that supports the Book of Mormon; which is zero, none, nada, zilch, squat, zippo. No matter what Mormon apologists have said over the years, there is absolutely no archaeological evidence to support the Book of Mormon claims, not only in metallurgy, but in anything. NONE!

On the other hand, the archaeological evidence to support the Bible is overwhelming. The archaeological excavations in Biblical lands continue to yield rich finds everyday. The Bible speaks of coins and Biblical archaeology has provided them by the thousands. The implements of war in the Biblical lands have been found in great abundance.

How can it be that the Bible is supported by archaeology in the most robust way, yet the Book of Mormon archaeology is silent? The answer is quite simple: The Bible is real, it’s God’s Word; it was left as a testament to you and me. The Book of Mormon is fiction, and was the fantasy of Joseph Smith. There is not one shred of archaeological, historical, geological or any other kind of hard evidence to back up the claims of Mormonism.

Why would God give us His Word in two volumes, one documented to the extreme, the Bible, and the other, the Book of Mormon, with absolutely nothing to support it except the claims of its author? Why would God do such a thing? It’s this writer’s belief that God didn’t. God gave us his Word, the Bible, and left us ample evidence that it is true, and is in fact His Word. There is no documentation of the Book of Mormon, because it’s not God’s Word, it is Joseph Smith’s fable.

COINS SPOKEN OF BUT ONCE

While researching this topic, I opened Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance and looked up some Biblical coins: the shekel, the penny and the widow’s mite. The shekel is mentioned in 16 different books of the Bible, 136 times; the penny in 4 different books, 9 times; the widow’s mite in 2 books, 3 times. When looking up this information, something struck me: Why are coins mentioned throughout the Biblical scriptures, yet in only one book, Alma, and in small set of successive scriptures in the Book of Mormon? The answer is quite simple: The Bible is truly God’s Word and is correct. It was written by different authors over the years. They wrote as God led them, and they wrote of the times, places and events that surrounded them. The references to coins fell where they naturally fell; and thus they are scattered throughout the text. The Book of Mormon was written by one author, and when something stimulated his thought process, he felt the need to expound on a monetary system; however, while dictating the

remainder of the text, since the events didn’t happen naturally, but rather were the conjectures of his mind, no other mention of coinage is ever found.

THE LITTLE ISLAND OF MALTA

Malta, only 122 square miles of land, yet it yields rich archaeological finds that support it’s fascinating and colorful history. On the other hand, the Americas which comprise over 16,240,000 square miles of land, and is 133,115 times as large as the tiny island nation of Malta, has never yielded a single shred of evidence to validate the claims of Mormonism concerning the Book of Mormon. If that doesn’t raise a question in your mind as to the validity of the Book of Mormon, I don’t know what will!

.:THE REAL STORY BEHIND THE MORMON NAUVOO PAGEANT

2011-07-27T00:19:00.000-05:00

The Nauvoo Pageant is a yearly event here in Nauvoo put on by the Mormon Church. It is a grand outdoor production that is very well done and draws thousands of Mormons and non-Mormons alike. The performance and choreography are first class; however, the story line is pure “Faith Promoting” Mormon History. Many half-truths are portrayed and some downright deceptions as well. In this issue of “The Midwest Expositor” I’ll attempt to address some of these items.
Since the “Pageant” opens with the character of Parley P. Pratt reminiscing about Nauvoo, let’s start with him.

Parley P. Pratt

Parley P. Pratt was one of the original Mormon Twelve Apostles. Today’s Mormon History paints him as a real stalwart of the faith and a stellar example—he was anything but that!
Parley died at the hands of an outraged jealous husband, Hector McLean. Parley had stolen McLean’s wife and married her while she was still married to McLean. This woman, Eleanor McComb McLean, became Parley’s 12th wife.
In the closing scene of the pageant, Parley’s wife Mary Ann comes running out and his kids come running to him as they are to begin leaving for Salt Lake City. At this point in history Parley had at least four other polygamous wives and Mary Ann had married Joseph Smith. Why weren’t all the wives running out on stage?
Mary Ann found out that Parley had gone on a Mormon Mission and secretly married another wife, took her with him on his mission, and fathered a child with wife number 5, possibly while on this mission trip.
Mary Ann, before divorcing Parley, married Joseph Smith and became one of his polygamous wives. She had a child in 1844 that was named Moroni, and is believed to have been fathered by Joseph Smith.
Parley was killed in May of 1857 by the outraged husband of his 12th polygamous wife, Eleanor McLean. Parley had gone on a “missions” trip to San Francisco, where he first met Eleanor McLean. She became infatuated with him. Her husband, Hector, told Mormon Apostle Pratt to stay away from his wife. “In the S. F. Bulletin of March 24, 1877, it is stated that the apostle made the acquaintance of Mrs. McLean while engaged in missionary work in San Francisco; that her husband, who was a custom-house official and a respectable citizen, ordered him to discontinue his visits, and kicked him out of the house for continuing them surreptitiously; and that the woman was so infatuated with the Mormon Elder that she devoutly washed his feet whenever he visited her.” (Bancroft’s History of Utah, pg. 546)
When Parley left San Francisco and went back to Utah, Eleanor left her husband and children and followed him to Salt Lake City. Eleanor, though still married to Hector, married Parley and became his 12th polygamous wife.
“At summer’s end in 1856, Pratt had left Utah with his new wife, the former Eleanor McLean, on a mission to the eastern states. Eleanor was determined to reclaim her children, who were living in her parents’ mansion in New Orleans.” (Blood of the Prophets, pg. 68) When Pratt and his new wife Eleanor arrived in Missouri, they split up and she proceeded to New Orleans on her own.
“In New Orleans Eleanor told her parents ‘she had been to Utah and had been a teacher there, had boarded at Gov. Brigham Young’s, only boarded, had seen much suffering due to famine, and had seen also the error of her ways. Said she had been mad.’ She still believed the Mormons were good people and that Young and his associates were true prophets, but she won the confidence of her parents. One Saturday morning she spirited her children away and took them to Texas, hoping to rendezvous with Pratt. She worked in Houston as a seamstress and on March 4, 1857, left the city with Elder James Gemmel to join a Utah-bound wagon train assembling in Ellis County.” (Blood of the Prophets, pg. 69)
“McLean learned his wife was in Houston using the name Lucy R. Parker and set off in pursuit. In Texas he intercepted a letter Pratt had sent to Eleanor, instructing her to ‘fly instantly’ northward and rendezvous with him on the Arkansas River. ‘My carriage shall await you there if the Lord will,’ he promised. Armed with Pratt’s instructions, McLean headed for Indian Territory…After a long pursuit McLean caught his wife in the Creek Nation and had her arrested. Eleanor said he threw her on the ground and seized the children.” (Blood of the Prophets, pg. 69)
Shortly after Eleanor was arrested, Pratt was caught and arrested as well. He was taken to Fort Smith, Arkansas, and put on trial. “The next morning before a packed courtroom, McLean related ‘the burden of [his] soul’s anguish.’ Some five hundred spectators listened to him implicate the scoundrel apostle, producing intense excitement. Twice McLean thought the crowd would tear Pratt to pieces, but even he admitted he did not have sufficient evidence to convict his wife-and her-lover.
Fearing the mob would lynch his prisoner, the magistrate postponed the case twice. The next morning he had Pratt’s horse brought to the jail and quietly released him. McLean’s friends reported Pratt’s escape, and with two companions, McLean tracked the unarmed man. On the western border of Arkansas, McLean shot and stabbed his rival from horseback and left him for dead.” (Blood of the Prophets, pg. 70)
So, Parley P. Pratt was murdered by Hector McLean. Do we condone such an action? Never; but, on the flipside of the coin, Pratt was not a martyr for the cause of Mormonism—He was murdered because he became involved with another man’s wife and then attempted to steal his children. Parley wasn’t a martyr; he was a scalawag!!
The other information about Parley marrying a woman that his first wife, Mary Ann Frost, didn’t know about; then took this new wife on a “missions trip” with him; and, Mary Ann becoming Joseph Smith’s wife and possibly having a child with him, was all new information to me. It’s kind of an interesting pattern here isn’t it: marry a new wife and take her on a “missions trip”; this exact same pattern cost him his life.
“1846 Pratt exchanged strong words in the Nauvoo Temple with his brother Orson over Parley’s accusations that Orson’s wife Sarah was “ruining and breaking up his family.” Orson, expelled from the temple, complained to Brigham Young about Parley’s alleged immorality: “If he feels at liberty to go into the city of New York or elsewhere and seduce girls or females and sleep and have connexion [sic] with them contrary to the law of God, and the sacred counsels of his brethren, it is something that does not concern me.” Orson was referring to Parley’s relations with Belinda Marden, to whom he had been secretly sealed on November 20, 1844. At the time Belinda accompanied Pratt on a mission to New York, not even his wife, Mary Ann, was aware of the marriage. When Belinda gave birth to a son (1846), Mary Ann asked Belinda if the child were illegitimate. Told the truth, Mary Ann immediately severed her marital relationship with Pratt, though she did not divorce him until 1853, after coming to Utah.” (A Book of Mormons, Van Wagoner and Walker, pg.221).

Let’s look at Mary Ann’s marriage to Joseph Smith, she being listed as Joseph’s 35th polygamous wife. “The Nauvoo Temple Record states that in February 1846 Mary Ann Frost was sealed to Joseph Smith “for eternity,” her husband, Parley P. Pratt, standing as proxy. This is the only reference I have found linking Mrs. Parley Pratt’s name to that of the prophet, but since nearly all of the wives sealed to Joseph Smith in Nauvoo temple had clearly been married to him during his lifetime, it may be assumed that Mrs. Pratt had also been.
Mary Ann Frost was born on January 11, 1809 at Groton, Vermont, and was married to Pratt on May 9, 1837. Since she was in England with Pratt from the fall of 1840 to April 1843, it is unlikely that she became a plural wife of Joseph Smith before the latter date. Her son, Moroni, born on December 7, 1844 may be added to the list of boys who might possibly have been sons of Joseph Smith.” (No Man Knows My History, 1995, pg. 484)

Aunt Jane
One of the big things the Pageant highlights is a black woman, Sister Manning, arriving in Nauvoo; she and her family being destitute after the extreme journey. At center stage, Joseph Smith puts his arm around her and says, (I’m paraphrasing here), “We’ll take care of you. You’re safe with us.” Of course, what is totally missing is the racist Mormon Doctrine on those of African descent. Sharing the same stage with the black Sister Manning is Brigham Young and John Taylor, the 2nd and 3rd Mormon Prophets. Let’s look at some statements by them about those of African descent.
Brigham Young said, “Shall I tell you the law of God in regard to the African race? If the white man who belongs to the chosen seed mixes his blood with the seed of Cain, the penalty, under the law of God, is death on the spot. This will always be so.” (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 10, pg. 110)
John Taylor said, “And after the flood we are told that the curse that had been pronounced upon Cain was continued through Ham’s wife, as he had married a wife of that seed. And why did it pass through the flood? Because it was necessary that the Devil should have a representative upon the earth as well as God.” (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 22, pg. 304)
Has the Mormon Church ever denounced these racist statements or rescinded its doctrine on the inferiority of blacks based upon its “Pre-existence” doctrine? No, it has not!
The real zinger here about Sister Manning that is totally left out of the Pageant, is that she tried her whole life to be allowed to go through the Mormon temple to receive her “Endowment” as the white folk were allowed to do. She died not being allowed the ability to accomplish that event; however, the First Presidency of the Mormon Church did allow her a special ceremony where she was sealed to Joseph Smith as his servant for eternity: “Instead the First Presidency “decided she might be adopted into the family of Joseph Smith as a servant, which was done, a special ceremony having been prepared for the purpose.” The minutes of the Council of Twelve Apostles continued, “But Aunt Jane was not satisfied with this, and as a mark of dissatisfaction she applied again after this for sealing blessings, but of course in vain.” (Black Saints in a White Church, pp. 40-41)
I find it quite disingenuous of the Mormon Church to make such a big play of Joseph Smith and Jane Manning, this early black Latter-day Saint. The Mormon Church is trying very hard to rewrite their racist history and discriminatory doctrine concerning those of African descent. The truth is, this woman and her family were never treated as equals as the Pageant attempts to imply, and each time she applied to be allowed to participate in the Mormon Temple Ceremonies she was denied. The Paul Harvey, “rest of the story” is that she was given the privilege to become Joseph Smith’s slave for eternity. Now, I wonder why the Mormon Church leaves that part out of the Pageant?

The “Exodus”
At the end of the Pageant a very heart-wrenching statement is made that the Mormons only had four hours notice to pack their things and leave Nauvoo in the dead of winter. I totally agree that the Mormons suffered terribly in their departure of Nauvoo and their trek across Southern Iowa in the dead of winter. There is simply no question about that; however, what is the whole story here, instead of the rewritten history designed to gender up sympathy?
All of the mayors of the towns around Nauvoo had agreed with the Mormon leadership to keep their people under control, as it had been proposed, and agreed, that the Mormons would leave Nauvoo after the spring thaw. So, why did the Mormons leave in the dead of winter in February, instead of waiting until the spring thaw as previously agreed? “Warrants pending for the arrest of Brigham Young and other leaders on charges of counterfeiting were among the reasons for the early departure of the Saints from the ‘city of Joseph’ in February rather than in the spring as originally proposed.” (Brigham Young University Studies, Winter 1968, pg. 215)
If Mormonism is true, why does it have to hide behind half-truths and lies? The Bible doesn’t hide the faults of David and others—it tells the truth. Why can’t Mormonism do the same? It can’t, because it isn’t true and it has to rewrite its history to prevent its members from finding out the truth!

Joseph Smith - How Many Wives?
Several times during the Pageant, Joseph Smith is onstage with Emma, his first wife, reflecting on what is happening in Nauvoo. The interaction between him and Emma is always so endearing. My question is, why weren’t all the other 48 wives of Joseph onstage so that Joseph, Emma, and all the other wives could have a family council? When Joseph Smith died, June 27, 1844, he had at least 49 wives. Even Mormon scholars admit at least 33 wives and most grudgingly agree on the 49; however, to the day he died, Joseph Smith stood publicly and absolutely denied that neither he, nor any other Mormon was practicing polygamy, and that was simply a lie. Isn’t it interesting that the “Prophet of the Restoration” is a documented liar?
Fawn Brodie’s book “No Man Knows My History” clearly lays out documented facts concerning Joseph Smith’s polygamous ways that weren’t even hinted about in the Nauvoo Pageant. If the following information came out today in a documentary about some man in the United States, he would be arrested as a sexual predator. The below quote is quite repulsive concerning Joseph Smith and his polygamous wives: “It will be seen that at least twelve were married women (with living husbands), although the evidence for Mrs. Levi Hancock is only word-of-mouth tradition in the Hancock family. The ages of Joseph’s wives varied all the way from the fifteen years of Helen Mar Kimball, daughter of Heber C. Kimball, to the fifty-nine years of Rhoda Richards, spinster sister of Joseph’s secretary Willard Richards.
The prophet married five pairs of sisters: De1cena and Almera Johnson, Eliza and Emily Partridge, Sarah and Maria Lawrence, Mary Ann and Olive Grey Frost, and Prescindia and Zina Huntington. Patty and Sylvia Sessions were mother and daughter.
The majority of the prophet’s wives fall into three general categories: first, the group of married women to whom Joseph was sealed between 1838 and the expulsion of Bennett in June 1842; and second, the leading women in the Nauvoo Relief Society, who were married to the prophet during the furor that followed Bennett’s departure.” (No Man Knows My History, pp. 336-337)

I need to interject a comment here. Part of the Nauvoo Pageant was to make a big deal of the establishment of the Women’s Organization called the “Nauvoo Relief Society,” to try to show how women have an important role in Mormonism. The Nauvoo Pageant played up the establishment of this women’s organization, with their stated purpose to bring relief to the families of Nauvoo that were in need. I won’t argue that this was not a noble cause; however, the Mormon Church conveniently leaves off the fact that a large number of the women represented on stage became Joseph’s polygamous wives. That little fact was completely left out of the “Pageant.” This is so sad. Thirteen million people are placing their eternities on the validity of the history put forth in this pageant—which is an edited, distorted, falsified history. It is not the truth. Let me pick up the quote again with the 3rd group of Joseph’s wives.
“The third group consists of the dozen or more unmarried women whom he married in the spring and summer of 1843. Most of them were quite young. Helen Mar Kimball was fifteen; Nancy Mariah Winchester (who may be identical with Nancy Maria Smith) was fifteen or sixteen; Lucy walker, Sarah Lawrence and Flora Ann Woodworth were seventeen. Maria Lawrence and Melissa Lott were nineteen. Six of the girls Joseph took as wives lived at various times as wards in his own home. These were the Partridge sisters, the Lawrence sisters, Eliza R. Snow, and Lucy Walker. One of these, the seventeen-year-old Lucy Walker, who had moved into the prophet’s home after the death of her mother, described Joseph’s whirlwind courtship.” (No Man Knows My History, pp. 336-337)

I could go on for several more pages about Joseph’s polygamous marriages, and believe you me, some of them are quite scandalous; however, I’ll leave that for books like Fawn Brodie’s: No Man Knows My History.

God Was Once A Man
For those who have seen the Nauvoo Pageant in either of the past two summer’s performances, you will remember the scene where the fellow is digging the ditch to drain the swamp of Nauvoo and this big fellow is poking fun at him. The name of the fellow who was digging the ditch was “King Follet.” One of the last scenes in the Pageant was Joseph Smith speaking at King Follet’s funeral. The scene has Joseph talking about seeing his “brother” again in the next life.
The part of the story the Pageant conveniently leaves out is that this funeral discourse has been one of the most controversial sermons Joseph Smith ever delivered. This is the sermon where Joseph Smith declared that God was once a man: “God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens! That is the great secret…It is the first principle of the Gospel to know for a certainty the Character of God, and to know that we may converse with him as one man converses with another, and that he was once a man like us; yea, that God himself, the Father of us all, dwelt on an earth, the same as Jesus Christ himself did; and I will show it from the Bible. Here, then, is eternal life—to know the only wise and true God; and you have got to learn how to be Gods yourselves, and to be kings and priests to God, the same as all Gods have done before you…” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith. pp. 345-346)

It’s no wonder the Mormon Church leaves those statements out of the Pageant. If they had them in the play and a Christian in the audience heard them, they would instantly know that the Mormon Church’s doctrine of God is at complete odds with Christianity.
Joseph The Martyr?

The next point I want to cover are the legal charges that caused Joseph’s arrest and placed him in jail in Carthage, Illinois. This arrest and confinement ultimately led to the mob rushing the jail and murdering him and his brother. Hyrum.

The first year of the new Nauvoo Pageant the script said Joseph and Hyrum were taken to jail on “simple charges.” The second year of the Pageant, this line was changed to “false charges.” The truth is that a newspaper, “The Nauvoo Expositor,” which was printed in the building where Kraus’s Furniture Store now stands, was printed in Nauvoo by ex-Mormons that had been in Mormon Leadership. This paper exposed the fact Joseph Smith and many others in senior Mormon leadership were actively practicing polygamy privately, but denying it publicly.
The Nauvoo Expositor printed only one issue. Joseph Smith acting in his capacity as Mayor of Nauvoo, backed by his City Council, declared the newspaper a “nuisance,” and therefore ordered it destroyed. Over 200 Mormons stormed the Nauvoo Expositor building pulling the presses and all other materials into the street and burning them. Joseph and Hyrum Smith were charged with “Treason,” and John Taylor and Willard Richards were charged with “Inciting a Riot.” Ordering the destruction of a newspaper in the State of Illinois, whether in 1844 or 2007, remains illegal. There’s this minor technicality called the 1st Amendment. So, for the Mormon Church to allow the script to say that the charges were “simple” or “false” is a deliberate deception on their part. If the President of the United States was to order the destruction of the New York Times or the Washington Post because they printed information about him that he didn’t like, he would be brought up on charges, and rightfully so!
While they were in jail a mob rushed the jail and murdered Joseph and Hyrum. That was an egregious act of brutality and lawlessness that was absolutely wrong and should never have happened. On the other hand, the Mormon Church promotes Joseph’s arrest as “a lamb being led to the slaughter.” This is absolutely blasphemous. Jesus was the only Lamb that was ever led to slaughter. He was innocent and went of his own free will knowing he was going to be our sinless sacrifice.

I have been at the Carthage jail, where Joseph and Hyrum were killed, and have personally heard the Mormon Missionaries acting as tour guides describe the room where Joseph was killed as their “Calvary.” What an atrocious statement, making Joseph Smith equal to Jesus. The fact is that Joseph was guilty of ordering the destruction of the “Nauvoo Expositor.” It is terrible that mob justice was executed; however, what you don’t hear at the Carthage Jail is that Joseph had a pepper box pistol in his possession and discharged all six barrels into the onrushing mob. Three barrels misfired; nonetheless, Joseph is credited with killing two and wounding a third. “He, however, instantly arose, and with a firm, quick step, and a determined expression of countenance, approached the door, and pulling the six-shooter left by Brother Wheelock from his pocket, opened the door slightly, and snapped the pistol six successive times; only three of the barrels, however, were discharged. I afterwards understood that two or three were wounded by these discharges. Two of whom, I am informed, died.” (History of the Church. Vol. 7, pp. 102103)

Does this sound like a lamb being led to the slaughter? Have you ever heard of a martyr dying in a blazing gun battle? Mormonism rewrites its history to be “faith promoting” instead of telling the truth. Thirteen million people today have been fed a falsified history of Joseph Smith and the origins of their church. What is reality and what is myth are very different and 13 million people are trusting their eternities on a myth. How sad!!
Folks, we are on the front lines. Every night of the Pageant we will be down at the Pageant site witnessing and passing out tracts to both the Mormons and the non-Mormons who attend. We will be opposed; of that there is no doubt. Keep us in your prayers for safety and the strength and fortitude to stand tall for Jesus Christ in the midst of a cult stronghold. Our ministry isn’t easy, but it is so needed.
Article by Rocky Hulse, Issue No. 25 July 2007, “The Midwest Expositor” publication of Mormon Outreach - http://www.mormonoutreach.org/. This article was reprinted and reposted from our website and may not be used without permission.

The Nauvoo Pageant - A Tribute to the Prophet Joseph Smith

MORMON SPLINTER GROUPS

2011-06-18T11:16:00.000-05:00

- Sects that broke away from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Proponents of the Salt Lake City based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (also known as LDS or Mormons) boast of the alleged “unity” of their 12 million membership. Pointing to multiple denominations of Christian churches, Mormons attribute their "unity" (i.e., uniform church structure and belief) to latter-day revelation and to additional books they regard as Scripture.

They challenge the potential convert to read and pray about the Book of Mormon in order to gain a “testimony” of the truthfulness of the book. This “testimony” (consisting of a “burning in the bosom” sensation) is alleged to be the main test for determining whether the potential convert should become a member of the LDS Church. Given the fact that over 100 splinter groups have developed on the foundation of the Prophet Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon, we question the validity of the Mormon “testimony” in solidifying the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as the sole possessor of the "restored gospel." Since all of these movements base their authority on the Book of Mormon and the Prophet Joseph Smith, how can a "testimony" gained through praying about the Book of Mormon be sufficient to prove which church of all of these movements one should join? The following list of dissident groups is taken from the book Divergent Paths of Restoration:

FOUNDED BETWEEN 1830 AND 1844

Pure Church of Christ, Wycam Clark, 1831
The Independent Church, Hoton, 1832
Church of Christ, Ezra Booth, 1836
Church of Christ, Warren Parrish, 1837
The Church of Jesus Christ, the Bride, The Lamb's Wife, George M. Hinkle, 1840
Church of Christ, Hyrum Page, 1842
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, F. Gladden Bishop
True Church of Jessu Christ of Latter Day Saints, Law, Foster, Higbee, 1844
Church of Christ, William Chubby
NON-EXTANT MOVEMENTS FOUNDED 1844-1860

Church of Christ / Church of Jesus Christ of the Children of Zion, Sidney Rigdon, 1844
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, James Emmett, 1844
Church of Christ, S. B. Stoddard, Leonard Rich, James Bump, 1845
Indian Mormon, 1846
Church of Christ, William McLellin, David Whitmer, 1847
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, William Smith, 1847
Congregation of Jehovah's Presbytery of Zion, Charles B. Thompson, 1848
Church of Christ, James C. Brewster, 1848
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Lyman Wight, 1849
The Bride, The Lamb's Wife or Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Jacob Syfritt, 1850
Church of Christ, Hazen Aldrich, 1851
EXTANT MOVEMENTS

Splinter Groups and Sub-movements of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, James J. Strang, 1844

Church of Christ, Aaron Smith, 1846
Church of the Messiah, George J. Adams, 1861
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Strangite)
Holy Church of Jesus Christ, Alexandre R. Caffiaux
House of Ephraim and House of Manasseh of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Jerry Sheppard
The True Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, David L. Roberts
Marriage Counseling Group
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, John J. Hajicek
Strangite Believers in Pennsylvania
Splinter Groups and Sub-movements of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Brigham Young, 1847

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints or Church of the First Born, Joseph Morris, 1861
The Prophet Cainan or Church of Jesus Christ of the Saints of the Most High God, George Williams, 1862
Morrisite Group, John Livingston, 1864
Church of Zion, William S. Godbe, 1868
Church of the First Born, George S. Dove, 1874
Priesthood Groups (Fundamentalists), 1890
United Order of Equality, Ephraim Peterson, 1909
The Church of Jesus Christ of Israel, J. H. Sherwood
Order of Aaron, Maurice L. Glendenning
Church of Freedom of Latter Day Saints, 1950s
Zion's Order of the Sons of Levi, Marl V. Kilgore, 1951
The Church of the Firstborn of the Fulness of Times, Joel F. LeBaron
The Church of the Firstborn, Ross W. LeBaron, 1955
Perfected Church of Jesus Christ of Immaculate Latter Day Saints, William C. Conway, 1958
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, John Forsgren, 1960
Church of Jesus Christ, William Goldman, 1960
LDS Scripture Researchers/Believe God Society, Sherman Russell Lloyd, 1965
The Church of the Body and of the Spirit of Jessu Christ, Max Powers, 1965
United Order of the Saints of Guadeloupe, Michel Gamiette, 1966
United Order of the Family of Christ, David E. Desmond, 1966
Split from Zion's Order of the Sons of Levi, Eldon Taylor, 1969
Homosexual Church of Jesus Christ, Denver, Colorado, 1972
Latter Day Saints Church, N.S. Park, 1972
The Church of the Lamb of God, Ervil M. LeBaron, 1972
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Mikhail Krupenia, 1972
The New Jerusalem Group, Kathryn Carter, 1972
The Watchmen on the Towers of Latter Day Israel, Miltenberg, Braun, 1973
Church of Jesus Christ in Solemn Assembly, Alexnader Joseph, 1974
Evangelical Church of Christ, Church of the New Covenant in Christ, John W. Bryant, 1974
Split form Zion's Order of the Sons of Levi, Barton Kilgore, 1975
Affirmation, 1975
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Robert Simons, 1975
Church of the Firstborn of the Fulness of Times, Bruce Wakeham, 1975
Aaronic Order Break-off, 1977
Christ's Church, Inc., Gerald Peterson, 1978
Church of Jesus Christ, Art Bulla, 1978
The Restorers or School of the Prophets, Robert C. Crossfield, 1979
Zion's First International Church, LeeAnn Walker, 1980
The Free Will Mormon Church, Franklin Lee Coleman, 1980
Church of Jesus Christ, Jorge Mora, 1981
Sons Ahman Israel, Davied Israel, 1981
Samoan LDS Church, New Zealand, 1981
The Millennial Church of Jesus Christ, Leo P. Evoniuk, 1981
Peyote Way Church of God, Immanuel P. Trujillo, 1981
The Chruch of Jesus Christ of the Saints in Zion, Ken Asay, 1984
Break from the Church of Jesus Christ in Solemn Assembly, 1984
Church of Jesus Christ of All Latter-day Saints or Restoration Church of Jesus Christ, Antonio A. Feliz, 1985
Church of Christ of Latter-day Saints, Robert P. Madison, 1985
Church of Christ the Firstborn of the Fulness of Times, Siegfried J. Widmar, 1985
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Fundamentalists, Wight Family, 1985
Mormon Fundamentalists, England, Alan and Marian Munn, 1986
Churchof Jesus Christ Omnipotent, 1987
Community of Zion, Central Utah Division
Church of the First Born, General Assembly
Splinter Groups and Sub-movements of The Church of Jesus Christ, Alpheus Cutler, 1853

Church of Jesus Christ, Clyde Fletcher, 1953
The Restored Church of Jesus Christ, Eugene O. Walton, 1979
Splinter Groups and Sub-movements of The Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, 1851-1860

Church of the Christian Brotherhood, Richard C. Evans, 1917
The Church of Christ, the Order of Zion, John Zahnd, 1918
The Church of Jesus Christ, Thomas W. Williams, 1925
Church of Jesus Christ Restored, Stanley M. King, 1970
New Jerusalem Church of Jesus Christ, Barney Fuller, 1975
Church of Christ Restored, Paul Fishel, 1976
True Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Forrest Toney, 1980
Church of the Restoration or Churches of Christ in Zion, Robert Chambers, 1981
Lamanite Ministries for Christ or New Covenant Ministries for Christ, 1984
Restoration Branches Movement, 1984
Church of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, A. Lee Abramson, 1985
Church of Jesus Christ, Zion's Branch, John Cato, 1986
Church of Christ, David Clark, 1986
Independent Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Christopher C. Warren, 1986
Native Indian Church
Splinter Groups and Sub-movements of The Church of Jesus Christ, William Bickerton, 1862

Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ, Allen Wright, 1907
Primitive Church of Jesus Christ, James Caldwell, 1914
Splinter Groups and Sub-movements of Church of Christ (Temple Lot), Granville Hedrick, 1863

Church of Christ, Independent, Informal, Frank F. Wipper, 1927
The Church of Christ, Otto Fetting, 1929
Church of Christ, P.A. Ely, 1929
Church of Christ, C.W. Humphrey, 1929
Church of Christ, Samuel Wood, E.J. Trapp, 1930
Church of Christ (Restored), A.C. DeWolf, 1936
Church of Christ, E. E. Long, Thomas Nerren, 1936
Church of Christ, Paul Hilgendorf, 1942
The Church of Christ With the Elijah Message, W. A. D. Draves, 1943
Church of Christ, Pauline Hancock, 1946
Antarctica Development Interests or the New American's Mount Zion, John Leabo, 1955
Church of Christ at Zion's Retreat, Gerald Hall, 1973
The Church of Israel, Dan Gayman, 1973
Break from the Church of Christ (Hancock), Davison, Michigan, 1973
The Church of Christ, Restored Gospel 1929, 1985

If you knew that Joseph Smith and Jesus Christ disagreed, which one of them would you believe?

2011-05-15T16:56:00.000-05:00

I posed this question to a couple of young LDS men attending the Mormon Miracle Pageant this last summer. To my delight, they both unhesitatingly answered "Jesus!" But, I don't usually get that response; many other Mormons believe that such a thing is impossible. Having received nothing but good (but fanciful) report of their founding prophet, they believe Joseph an extraordinary man - God's chosen vessel to restore His true gospel in these latter-days.

This article was written to introduce the fact the teachings of Joseph Smith oppose those of Jesus Christ. Though it is not an exhaustive comparison, I hope you find it helpful.

10 Disagreements

1. Joseph Smith said that there is more than one god. His religion teaches that men can become gods; that god was a man who progressed to godhood, just like all the gods before him. In the Bible, Jesus said:

"...this is life eternal, that they might know thee THE ONLY TRUE GOD, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent" (John 17:3), and

"...The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord... the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he..." (Mark 12:29-32)

2. Joseph Smith said that couples need to be sealed to one another in temples, that their marriage might continue for all eternity. In the Bible, Jesus said:

"...in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven." (Mat 22:30, 12:25; Luke 17:27, 20:34-35)

3. Joseph Smith said that Jesus is our and Satan's spirit brother, that we were all begotten of the god "Elohim" by his goddess wives, and that we all lived together as spirits in our "pre-earth life." Jesus' apostle Paul said:

"... by him (Jesus) were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him. And he is before all things, and by him all things consist." - (Colossians 1:16-17)

and Jesus' apostle, John the Beloved, said:

"But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name. Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." (John 1:12-13)

4. Joseph Smith said Jesus' could not hold a church together, that the true gospel had to be brought back to the earth by Joseph Smith. In the Bible, Jesus said:

"...I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it" (Matt 16:18), and

"Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away" (Matt 24:35)

5. Joseph Smith instituted the use of "the Melchisedec Priesthood" by the "worthy" men of his church. In the Bible, Jesus is the ONLY ONE who is a priest "after the order of Melchisedec" (note: not a Melchisedec Priesthood holder, but a Melchisedec PRIEST) because He is:

"... made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life" (Hebrews 7:16), and "because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood" (Hebrews 7:24) and because He is "holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens" (Hebrews 7:26) and "consecrated for evermore." (Hebrews 7:28)

6. Joseph Smith instituted a religion in which the family is of central focus and importance. Jesus said:

"For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man's foes shall be they of his own household. He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me." (Matthew 10:35-37)

7. Joseph Smith said that repentance (the forsaking of your sin, in Mormonism) is a prerequisite for baptism, baptism for confirmation, and confirmation by the "laying on of hands" of LDS priesthood holders for receiving the Holy Ghost. All of these are primary steps toward becoming good enough to go to heaven. Smith's religion rejects the cross as a symbol of Jesus' death for our sins. Jesus' apostle Paul said:

"I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius... For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish, foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God." (1 Corinthians 1:14-18)

The New Testament believers received the Holy Spirit without "laying on of hands" (i.e. Acts 2:1-4), and/or before water baptism (i.e. Acts 9:3-17). And Jesus, speaking of natural birth and spiritual birth, said:

"Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." (John 3:5-6)

8. Joseph Smith said that Heavenly Father has a physical body, that he is a separate person and a separate god from Jesus Christ. The apostle Paul said:

"...Who (Jesus) is the image of the invisible God..." (Colossians 1:15)

Jesus Himself said:

"If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him." Philip said: "Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us." and "Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?" (John 14:7-9), and
"God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." (John 4:24)

9. Joseph Smith said that proxy work must be done (by the Mormon faithful) for those who didn't accept the "true" gospel of Jesus in this life, so they can repent and become righteous in the afterlife. Jesus said:

"Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead." (Matt 8:22, Luke 9:60)

10. Joseph Smith said that baptism and confirmation (and membership in the LDS church), repentance, keeping the commandments and covenants of the LDS church, including but not limited to temple marriage and knowing the secret handshakes, signs and tokens, are required to get into heaven. He said that eternal life is free to everyone, because of Jesus' atonement, but all the other is necessary to live with God in the highest level of heaven. John the Baptist said:

"He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him." (John 3:36)

Jesus said:

"...as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:15-17)

and to the thief dying on the cross next to Him, who had just confessed "... we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom," Jesus said:

"Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise." (Luke 23:41-43)

No you know that Joseph Smith and Jesus Christ disagree. Whom will you believe?

"Jesus answered... To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice." - John 18:37

by Staci Lee

Only One God

2011-04-08T12:00:00.000-05:00

Using the Dead Sea Scrolls (DSS), the Septuagint(LXX), and King James Version(KJV) translations, I did small comparison-study on some of the ONLY ONE GOD verses in the book of Isaiah. I did this for two reasons. The first – to put on display just a few of the many instances in the Bible where God says that He is the ONLY (real/non-idol) god. The second – because under the heading “Bible: Preservation of the Text of the O.T” in the Bible Dictionary of the LDS Standard Works, the claim is made that the Septuagint and Dead Sea Scrolls prove how corrupt current Bible translations (like the KJV) of the Old Testament are.

The following side-by-side comparison will reveal the correctness of these particular, crucial, pieces of scripture.

Remember: in the KJV, the all-capital-letters word “LORD” is used in place of the Hebrew word from which we get the English “Jehovah.” The Tetragrammaton, “YHWH,” represents the same Hebrew word.

Comparison of the Isaiah Verses:

Isaiah 42:5-8
(DSS): "Thus says The God (ha-el) and God (elohiym), the creator of the heavens, (and stretched them out in the firmament) and the earth, and that which comes out of it; the Giver of breath (neshamah) to the people upon it, and spirit to those walking in it:... I am YHWH that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to idols."
(KJV): "Thus saith God the LORD, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein... I am the LORD; that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images."
(LXX): "Thus saith the Lord God, who made the heaven, and established it; who settled the earth, and the things in it, and gives breath to the people on it, and spirit to them that tread on it... I am the Lord God: that is my name: I will not give my glory to another, nor my praises to graven images."

Isaiah 43:10-11
(DSS): "You are my witnesses, says YHWH, and my servant whom I have chosen: so that you may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, nor after me will there be. I, even I, am YHWH; and beside me there is no savior."
(KJV): "Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no savior."
(LXX): "Be ye my witnesses, and I too am a witness, saith the Lord God, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know, and believe, and understand that I am he: before me there was no other God, and after me there shall be none. I am God; and beside me there is no Savior."

Isaiah 44:6
(DSS): "Thus says YHWH the King of Israel, and his Redeemer YHWH of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God."
(KJV): "Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts, I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God."
(LXX): " Thus saith God the King of Israel, and the God of Hosts that delivered him (Israel); I am the first, and I am hereafter: beside me there is no God."

Isaiah 44:24
(DSS): "Thus says YHWH, your redeemer, and he who formed you from the womb, I am YHWH maker of all things; stretching out the heavens alone; spreading abroad the earth by myself"
(KJV): "Thus saith the LORD, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the LORD that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself"
(LXX): "Thus saith the Lord that redeems thee, and who formed thee from the womb, I am the Lord that performs all things: I stretched out the heaven alone, and established the earth."

Isaiah 45:5-7
(DSS): " I am YHWH, and there is no one else, and beside me there is no God I girded you, and you did not know me: So that they will know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am YHWH, and there is no one else. I am the former of the light, and creator of darkness: making good, and creating evil: I YHWH am doing all these things."
(KJV): "I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me: that they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me, I am the LORD, and there is none else. I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil. I the LORD do all these things."
(LXX): "For I am the Lord God, and there is no other God beside me; I strengthened thee, and thou hast not known me. That they that come from the east and they that come from the west may know that there is no God but me. I am the Lord God, and there is none beside. I am he that prepared light, and formed darkness; who make peace, and create evil; I am the Lord God, that does all these things."

Isaiah 45:18-22
(DSS): "For thus says YHWH creator of the heavens; He is the God and He formed the earth and made it; and he prepared it, He did not create it void, he formed it to be inhabited: I am YHWH; and there is no one else.... there is no other God beside me; a righteous God and a Savior; there is none beside me. Turn to me, and be saved, all the ends of the earth: because I am God, and there is no other."
(KJV): "For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else... there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Savior; there is none beside me. Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else."
(LXX): "Thus saith the Lord that made the heaven, this God that created the earth, and made it; he marked it out, he made it not in vain, but formed it to be inhabited: I am the Lord, and there is none beside. ... I am God, and there is not another beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none but me. Turn ye to me, and ye shall be saved, ye that come from the end of the earth: I am God, and there is none other."

I think it's significant that the book of Isaiah was the best preserved of all the Biblical texts in the Dead Sea Scrolls. Perhaps God wanted to make sure there was no doubt?

The Mormon God "Elohim" - Part Two

2011-03-28T06:00:00.002-05:00

In my previous post, I began to discuss why, if the Mormon "Elohim" is a real god, humankind's Heavenly Father, and the god we are to worship, are there no verses about him in the Old Testament? In this post, let's look at a few Hebrew words, and undo the mess Joseph Smith got Mormons into when he found out in 1835-6, during his attempt to learn Hebrew, that "elohim" was a plural word.

אֵל - el. Occuring 245 times in the Old Testament, this word is most often translated "God" (the capital-G designates the "one true God" of Israel) in our King James Version bibles. However, it is also translated "god" (the lowercase-g is used for any "god" other than Israel's God), "power," "mighty," "goodly," "great," "idols," "Immanuel," "might" and "strong." A couple of example verses for "el" are:

Genesis 14:22, "And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the LORD, the most high God(el), the possessor of heaven and earth" and
Jonah 4:2 "And he prayed unto the LORD, and said, I pray thee, O LORD... for I knew that thou art a gracious God(el), and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil."

אֱלוֹהַּ - eloah. With the root "el," this Hebrew word is also translated "God" and "god" in the KJV. A couple of example verses for "eloah" are:

Psalms 18:31, "For who is God (eloah) save the LORD?" and
Proverbs 30:5, "Every word of God (eloah) is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him."

אֱלֹהִים - elohim. This word occurs 2606 times in the Old Testament, and is the word most often used for the God of Israel. It is also translated "god(s)," "judge," "goddess," "great," "mighty," "angels," "exceeding," "God-ward," and "godly." In a moment, I will give several example verses for "elohim."

יהוה - Jehovah. In our King James Bibles, we are usually reading this word when we read the all-caps word "LORD." יהוה means "the existing One." Unlike "el," "eloah," and "elohim," the word LORD and/or the name "Jehovah" is never used for any god other than Israel's God. Unlike "el," "eloah," and "elohim," יהוה is never used for idols or false gods. Unlike "el," "eloah," and "elohim," Jehovah is a proper name, a specific designation. (Note: Transliterated, the word is "YHWH" and it is currently thought that the pronunciation for this word is actually "Yahweh" rather than "Jehovah.")

And now, a few of the many example verses for elohim (and also Jehovah).

Exodus 6:2 "And God (elohim) spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am the LORD (Jehovah)" (also see here #)

Exodus 20:1-3 "And God (elohim) spake all these words, saying, I am the LORD (Jehovah) thy God (elohim), which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods (elohim) before me." (#)

Deut 4:35 "Unto thee it was shewed, that thou mightest know that the LORD (Jehovah), he is God (elohim); there is none else beside him." (#)

Deut 10:17 "For the LORD (Jehovah) your God (elohim); is God(elohim); of gods (elohim); , and Lord of lords, a great God (el); , a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward"

Joshua 24:15 "And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD (Jehovah), choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods (elohim) which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods (elohim) of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD (Jehovah)." (#)

1 Kings 8:54-60 "And... when Solomon had made an end of praying ... he stood, and blessed all the congregation of Israel with a loud voice, saying... the LORD (Jehovah) our God (elohim) be with us, as he was with our fathers: let him not leave us, nor forsake us...That all the people of the earth may know that the LORD (Jehovah) is God (elohim), and that there is none else." (#)

1 Kings 18:24-39 "...call ye on the name of your gods (elohim), and I will call on the name of the LORD (Jehovah): and the God (elohim) that answereth by fire, let him be God (elohim). And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken... And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, the LORD (Jehovah), he is the God (elohim); the LORD (Jehovah), he is the God (elohim)." (#)

Isaiah 44:6 "Thus saith the LORD (Jehovah) the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD (Jehovah) of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God (elohim)." (#)

Also see Exodus 18:11 (#), Deut 4:39 (#), Deut 5:6-7 (#,#), 2 Kings 19:19 (#), Isaiah 45:5-6 (#,#), and many others.

Let's summarize:

There are no verses about a Heavenly Father named "Elohim" in the Old Testament, but instead, the verses that are supposed to be about him, according to the LDS leadership, are really about "Jehovah."

Jehovah is a proper name, while elohim, like el and eloah, are labels used to describe something powerful.

Though the Bible acknowledges that many things are worshipped as though they were God, it also says Jehovah is the only true God.

The Biblical facts are these: 1) There is only ONE GOD, 2) The Father is God, the Son is God, the Holy Spirit is God, 3) The Father is not the Son, the Son is not the Spirit, and the Spirit is not the Father. God's triune nature is hard for our little brains, and Joseph Smith is not the first or last to try to get around it. Joseph ignored Biblical fact number one, because he failed to bow his knee to YHWH, but wanted power and glory to himself. Please pray for the Mormons who are still sincerely trapped in his lies.

The Mormon God "Elohim" - Part One

2011-03-22T18:00:00.003-05:00

In the Mormon religion, "Elohim" is the name of the god who is the father of our spirits. More commonly referred to as "Heavenly Father," Elohim is the literal father of all "spirits" - ours, Jesus', Satan's, etc. - by union with his many goddess wives. Since the religion teaches that God was once a man and righteous LDS men can become gods, Elohim is the highest god of all the gods being grown on this planet - the LDS Most High God.

The LDS leadership has collected the scripture passages specifically about their Heavenly Father and put them in their Topical Guide, under the heading "God the Father - Elohim." Please take a moment to open the link, and look at the verses. Notice that the first three (four) scriptures on the list are from the Old Testament. (Do you also find it odd that there are only four?) I intend to show that these selections to not lend any support to their belief.

Now let's take a look at three of the Old Testament selections for "God the Father - Elohim." I'll first give the reference as it is found in the Topical Guide, and then I will put each reference back into its Old Testament context.

TG selection 1: "Blessed be Abram of the most high God, Gen. 14:19."

OT Context: Genesis 14:18-22 "And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth: And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all. And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself. And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the LORD, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth..."

The Most High God, possessor of heaven and earth, is "the LORD." In the KJV, the all-caps word "LORD" shows up often. But who is the LORD? We'll look at that in a moment.

TG selections 2 and 3: "God of the spirits of all flesh, Num. 16:22 (Num. 27:16)."

In Context: Numbers 16:20-23 "And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment. And they fell upon their faces, and said, O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and wilt thou be wroth with all the congregation? And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying..."

Numbers 27:16: "Let the LORD, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation..."

The God of the spirits of all flesh is also "the LORD." Let's talk about who "the LORD" is then.

Of the 7,970 times the all-caps word "LORD" occurs in the entire KJV Bible, 6510 times it has been translated from the Hebrew word יְהֹוָה. This Hebrew word can be transliterated "YHWH" and is thought to be pronounced "Yahweh." It is the very same Hebrew word from which we get the name with which many of us are already familiar: Jehovah.

But who is Jehovah, in Mormonism? Let's go back to the Topical Guide. Click on this link and scroll down a bit, to see that in Mormonism, there are two "God the Father"s: Elohim and Jehovah. Notice that one of the subheadings of "God the Father - Jehovah" is "Jesus Christ--Jehovah." Also click here to see the LDS Bible Dictionary definition for Jehovah (notice particularly the second paragraph).

By putting each reference back into its context, we've seen that the few in the Old Testament which have been designated by the LDS leadership as being about their god “Elohim,” who is Jesus’ supposed spiritual and earthly father, known to us as Heavenly Father, are, in actuality, about Jehovah, whom Mormons believe is Jesus himself. Confused?

Joseph Smith published his "Book of Mormon," began his "Doctrine and Covenants" and started his church in 1830. His view in 1830, as can be seen by what he was writing, was that there was just one (modal) God. In 1832, Joseph began to tell people that he had seen "the Lord" in a "First Vision," back in 1820. It wasn't until 1835-6, when Joseph began trying to study Hebrew, that he began to tell people he had seen two gods in that "First Vision." This was also when he wrote his "Book of Abraham," which contradicts his earlier attempt at rewriting Genesis (his "Book of Moses") by giving credit to many gods for the creation of the earth. And it wasn't until after 1835-6, that he first came up with the idea that Heavenly Father's name was "Elohim."

In part two of this post, which is coming shortly, I'll revisit the Hebrew words that divided Joseph from his previous thinking and teachings, and members of his earliest congregation from being able to follow him any longer.

Zeus, Allah and Jesus, in Mormonism, They’re One and the Same!

2011-02-27T21:02:00.001-06:00

By Rocky Hulse

I picked up the Sunday, January 29, 2011 issue of Mormon Times and noticed the regular column, “Defending the Faith,” by Daniel C. Peterson [Daniel C. Peterson is a professor of Islamic studies and Arabic at BYU, where he also serves as editor in chief of the Middle Eastern Texts Initiative and as director of outreach for the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship (formerly Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies (FARMS) BYU’s Mormon Apologetic arm). He is founder of MormonScholarsTestify.org.] The article was titled: “His sheep recognize his voice.”

Mormonism Is All Inclusive

The first four paragraphs of this article set the stage of falsehood:

“Trying to make their view seem merely a minor logical extension of my own, several atheistic acquaintances have assured me that there is little difference between us: They just happen to disbelieve in one more god than I do.

They seem to imagine that being a Latter-day Saint entails rejecting all non-Mormon religious experiences and disbelieving every doctrine of every other faith. This, however, is not true.

When Joseph Smith learned that the then-existing Christian churches were corrupt, that didn’t mean that they were totally wrong. To say that something is “corrupt” means that it has been damaged. We speak of “corrupted texts” or “corrupted files,” intending to say that they have been infected or tainted—not that their original content has been replaced by something completely different.

In fact, many mainstream Christian doctrines were and are substantially correct. There is indeed a God. He has a divine Son who came to earth, atoned for our sins, rose again on the third day and now sits at the right hand of his Father. Those who taught prayer, preached of the Savior and translated the New Testament during the centuries between the early apostles and the Restoration preserved and transmitted many central gospel truths.”

This attempt at revising the “First Vision” of Joseph Smith is grossly deceptive. Set in Mormon scripture is the “First Vision” of Joseph Smith which is day one, hour one, minute one, second one of Mormonism: “18. My object in going to inquire of the Lord was to know which of all the sects was right, that I might know which to join. No sooner, therefore, did I get possession of myself, so as to be able to speak, than I asked the Personages who stood above me in the light, which of all the sects was right (for at this time it had never entered into my heart that all were wrong)—and which I should join.

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.’” (Joseph Smith History, Ch 1:18-19)

Here in the “First Vision,” Joseph Smith says the “Personage” who addressed him (later identified as Jesus) told him all churches were wrong and all of their creeds were an “abomination.” The Christian Creeds are Christian doctrine. The word “abomination” is defined as follows: “1: something abominable 2: extreme disgust and hatred: LOATHING.” It is quite clear from the text that, according to Joseph Smith, Jesus has “extreme disgust, hatred and loathing” of the Christian creeds and specifically defines all churches as wrong and teaching the doctrines of men. Yet, in the first four paragraphs of this article, Daniel Peterson very deceptively tries to gloss over Mormonism’s absolute attack against all churches, all Christian doctrine and all who profess Christianity.

Lest anyone say this is out of context or not the belief of early Mormonism, let me provide a quote of Brigham Young following a discourse by John Taylor who would replace Brigham as the 3^rd Mormon Prophet: “Brother Taylor has just said that the religions of the day were hatched in hell. The eggs were laid in hell, hatched on its borders, and kicked on to the earth.” (Journal of Discourses, Vol 6, pg 176).

Allah is God!

Unbelievable as it may seem, this BYU professor and Mormon Apologist goes on in this article teaching that the Allah of Islam is the God of the Bible:

“But what about non-Christians? Do they worship false gods?

Jews certainly don’t. Believing Jews accept the Old Testament, venerating the God who brought Israel out of Egypt, spoke through the prophet Isaiah and was proclaimed by Jesus (a Palestinian Jew).

But what of Islam? Isn’t “Allah” a false god? No. According to the Qur’an, Allah created the earth in six days, placed Adam and Eve in Eden and then inspired prophets like Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus. Sound familiar?”

To draw the conclusion that “Allah” is the God of the Bible because a fictional book of scripture, the Qur’an, plagiarizes the characters and stories of the Bible is ludicrous, however, not without precedent. Mormonism does the same thing in our time. Mormonism draws from its fictional book of scripture, the Pearl of Great Price, claiming in creation that all human beings were born into a pre-existent world, having been sired by God the Father, who has a body of flesh and bones, and that Jesus was the first offspring of this Deity and that Lucifer was the second. This being foundational Mormon doctrine, Jesus and Lucifer are brothers, and these two procreated beings are our older brothers in this non-Biblical doctrine.

“Allah is the Eternal Father”

Daniel Peterson continues:

“‘Allah’ is simply the Arabic equivalent of English ‘God,’ related to the Hebrew ‘Elohim.’ Moreover, Allah is the God not only of Muslims but of all Arabic-speaking Christians and Jews. ‘In the beginning, (Allah) created the heavens and the earth,’ reads Arabic Genesis. ‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with (Allah), and the Word was (Allah),’ says the Arabic version of John 1:1. ‘We believe in (Allah), the Eternal Father,’ says the first Article of Faith in Arabic, ‘and in his Son, Jesus Christ.’”

This is pure blasphemy of John 1:1. Jesus was the Word that became flesh and then “dwelt among us” (John 1:14), not Allah! “The first Article of Faith” is a Mormon document listing 13 Articles of Faith depicting Mormon beliefs. Just because it is translated into Arabic and says Allah is God the Eternal Father, doesn’t make it so; it just makes it another falsehood of Mormonism!

Daniel Peterson’s next point is as follows:

“Muslims, Christians and Jews disagree about God, but that doesn’t create numerically different gods. My neighbor regards Senator Foghorn as the greatest orator since Daniel Webster; I think he’s a noxious windbag. But there is, mercifully, only one Senator Foghorn. Our different opinions don’t spawn multiple senators.”

This argument is pure Mormonism. Trying to justify a different definition of who God is has been a trademark argument and rationalization of Mormons trying to justify their false doctrine of God from the very beginnings of Mormonism. There is only one God. Period!

II Corinthians 11:4 “For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.”

15^th Mormon Prophet, Gordon B. Hinckley, who passed away in January 2008 said the following about Mormonism’s Jesus: "In bearing testimony of Jesus Christ, President Hinckley spoke of those outside the Church who say Latter-day Saints 'do not believe in the traditional Christ. No, I don't. The traditional Christ of whom they speak is not the Christ of whom I speak. For the Christ of whom I speak has been revealed in this the Dispensation of the Fulness [sic] of Times'" (Church News, June 20, 1998).

“I will go back to the beginning before the world was, to show what kind of a being God is.”

“I will go back to the beginning before the world was, to show what kind of a being God is. What sort of a being was God in the beginning? Open your ears and hear, all ye ends of the earth, for I am going to prove it to you by the Bible, and to tell you the designs of God in relation to the human race, and why He interferes with the affairs of man.

God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens! That is the great secret. If the veil were rent today, and the great God who holds this world in its orbit, and who upholds all worlds and all things by His power, was to make himself visible,—I say, if you were to see him today, you would see him like a man in form like yourselves in all the person, image, and very form as a man; for Adam was created in the very fashion, image and likeness of God, and received instruction from, and walked, talked and conversed with Him, as one man talks and communes with another.” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pg 345)

The above statement, made by Joseph Smith on April 7, 1844, is a complete departure from all that the Bible teaches about God, yet it is a foundational teaching of Mormonism.

Peterson then attempts to discount a just God by saying the following:

“But what of the non-Abrahamic religions? Are they too far wrong? It seems presumptuous to declare that mistaken but sincere devotion means nothing to our loving Father in Heaven.”

It is obvious that Daniel Peterson has never studied the Book of Matthew, or chooses to ignore it: “7:21. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23. And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”

There is no question that this text in Matthew 7 is clearly identifying those who are declaring “sincere devotion” to the Lord; and he says “depart from me, I never knew you.”

In Acts 17:24-28, Paul is preaching God is Zeus?

In another grand deception, Daniel Peterson attempts to make the claim that Paul is actually equating the God of Israel with the Greek god Zeus. “When the apostle Paul, preaching on Mars Hill, sought to connect with the pagan Athenians (Acts 17:24-28), he identified Zeus with Israel’s God: “For in him we live and move and have our being,” he taught, quoting the words about Zeus of a sixth-century B.C. Cretan philosopher. “As some of your own poets have said,” he continued, citing a third-century B.C. philosopher’s verse about Zeus, ‘“we are his offspring.’”

This attempt at saying that Paul is preaching Zeus is the God of Israel is beyond the pale of deceit. Acts 17:23 clearly contradicts Peterson: “23. For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you.”

There is no question that Paul is talking about the UNKNOWN GOD, not Zeus. This is truly deliberate deception and is despicable.

The “Chronicles of Narnia”- scripture?

Peterson finishes his article thusly:

“In the final volume of C.S. Lewis’ “Chronicles of Narnia,” a Calormene soldier named Emeth (=Hebrew “truth”) has been a sincere worshipper of the false god Tash all of his life. When, at the end, he meets Aslan and recognizes the true God, he expects severe punishment. But Aslan graciously reassures him that “all the service thou hast done to Tash, I accept as service done to me,” explaining that, although Emeth had been unaware of it, his honest devotion was actually to Aslan, rather than to Tash. ‘No service which is vile can be done to me, and none which is not vile can be done to him.’”

This teaching by BYU Professor Peterson is absolute blasphemy. Trying to use the “Chronicles of Narnia” as scripture to rationalize that any worship given to any god will be accounted by the God of the Bible as valid, is the epitome of reaching for straws; it’s pathetic really. God will not be mocked. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life! There is none other and any devotion offered to false gods will not be accepted by the God of the Bible as worship to him. The Old Testament is clear that God is a jealous God and will not tolerate worship given to false gods; however, since Mormonism has incorporated polytheism (many gods) into their doctrine, the god of this world has blinded their eyes (II Cor 4:4).

Book of Mormon vs. The Bible

2011-02-13T01:10:00.001-06:00

Mormon words don't mean the same thing.

Anyone who tries to witness to a Mormon will soon find that the words they use do not always mean the same thing to Christians. Below is a list of terms that are important for Christians to know when discussing the truth with Mormons. It is important that you know what the Mormons mean by the same words used by Christians.

ADAM	LDS - Father of physical mankind. Adam is also known as Michael the archangel, the ancient of days, (D&C 116).	Bible - the first created man by whom all of humanity descends. He was not Michael the archangel.
ATONEMENT	LDS - The sacrifice of Christ that made resurrection possible along with the possibility of our earning forgiveness of sins.	Bible - The substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus on our behalf. He died for our sins (1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 2:2).
AARONIC PRIESTHOOD	LDS - A lesser priesthood in the LDS church. It is still used in LDS church practices and is held by the very young, (D&C 107:1, 6, 10).	Bible - A priesthood that is no longer necessary now that we have the full revelation of Christ.
BAPTISM	LDS - A necessary ordinance for salvation in the Mormon church. By it sins are washed away.	Bible - An ordinance of the Christian church that is not necessary for salvation (Rom. 5:1).
BIBLE	LDS - The Bible is correct only as far as it is correctly translated. It is basically trustworthy. It is the only one of the four standard works (Bible, Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price) that is not considered infallible. The KJV is the official Bible of the LDS church.	Bible - the Bible is the inspired inerrant word of God (2 Tim. 3:16).
BISHOP	LDS - an office in the Melchizedek Priesthood of the LDS church. D&C 20:67),	Bible - An office held by a male member of the Church.
CELESTIAL HEAVEN	LDS - The highest of the three levels of heaven where faithful Mormons are exalted to Godhood.	Bible - There is no such thing as a celestial heaven.
CHURCH	LDS - The LDS church with its organizational structure, laws, and proper name.	Bible - The body of believers in the true and living God through Jesus. It is comprised of those who are redeemed and is not limited to an earthly structure.
DAMNATION	LDS - Basically, anything lesser than exaltation (becoming a God).	Bible - The state of condemnation, judged by God in eternal hell (Matt. 25:46).
DEVIL	LDS - See Satan.	Bible - See Satan.
ELOHIM	LDS - The name of God the Father.	Bible - The Hebrew word for "God." The name of God is "YHWH," which means "I AM," (Exodus 3:14).
ETERNAL LIFE	LDS - Exaltation (exaltation to a Mormon means obtaining Godhood) in the Celestial Kingdom.	Bible - Forgiveness of sins and life eternal with God (John 17:3; Rom. 6:23).
EXALTATION	LDS - The state of becoming a god in the celestial heaven.	Bible - There is no such thing as becoming a God in the Bible.
FALL OF MANKIND	LDS - A blessing (Mosiah 3: 11-16). A necessary step in the progression of humanity to the level of Godhood.	Bible - The open rebellion of Adam and Eve against God resulting in their condemnation and the fall of mankind.
GOD	LDS - One of countless gods in existence. An exalted man from another world who created the earth who's name is "Elohim." He became a god by following the laws and ordinances of his god on the other world. He has a body of flesh and bones. D&C 130: 22-23.	Bible - The one and only God in all the universe, (Isaiah 44:6,8).
GODHEAD	LDS - An office held by three separate Gods: the Father who is a god; Jesus who is a god; and the Holy Ghost who is a god.	Bible - God Himself, not an office. Three persons in one God. A Trinity: The Father; the Son; and the Holy Spirit.
GOSPEL	LDS - The laws and ordinances of the Mormon church.	Bible - The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus for the forgiveness of the sins of all who would trust in Him (1 Cor. 15:1-4).
HEAVEN	LDS - Divided into three Kingdoms: Celestial, Terrestrial, and Telestial. The Celestial is for perfect Mormons, the Terrestrial is for moral people and lukewarm LDS, and the Telestial Kingdom is for everyone else.	Bible - The dwelling place of God (1 Kings 8:30). Christians go to heaven.
HELL	LDS - The temporary abode in the spirit world between death and resurrection for those awaiting telestial glory, (D&C 76: 84-85, 106). Hell will come to an end.	Bible - the eternal dwelling place of those who rejected the atoning work of Christ.
HOLY GHOST	LDS - "A spirit man. He can only be at one place at one time... " (Mormon Doctrine by Bruce McConkie, p. 359.) The Holy Ghost is contrasted with the Spirit of God, which is the influence of the Godhead that fills the immensity of space which enables God to know what is going on. It is likened to electricity." D&C 130: 22-23.	Bible - Third person of the Trinity. Same as Holy Spirit (Acts 5:3-4).
HOLY SPIRIT	LDS - The presence of God as distinguished from the Holy Ghost who is a god in the mormon trinity.	Bible - An equivalent term to Holy Ghost, third person in the Trinity.
JEHOVAH	LDS - The name of Jesus in the Old Testament.	Bible - The name of God is "YHWH," which means "I AM," (Exodus 3:14).
JESUS	LDS - Literal offspring of God the father. Spirit brother of Satan. A god in the Godhead. He is Jehovah of the O.T. compared to Elohim being the Father. He was the first spirit child to be born to the Father and Mother gods. Ordained as the Christ in the pre-existent Grand Council before coming to earth.	Bible - Jesus is God, second person of the Trinity (John 1:1,14; Col. 2:9).
KINGDOM OF GOD	LDS - Celestial heaven. The kingdom of God on earth is the LDS church.	Bible - All the believers of Christ (Matt. 13:41-43).
MARRIAGE	LDS - An eternal bonding of husband and wife that continues into the afterlife. These couples will continue to have children. (D&C 132:15-20).	Bible - the holy covenant between a man and a woman that is broken at death.
MELCHIZEDEK PRIESTHOOD	LDS - A greater priesthood in the LDS church held by elders, (D&C 107),	Bible - A priesthood held by Jesus alone.
PRE-EXISTENCE	LDS - We existed in heaven with God our (literal) Father and mother before we became human.	Bible - We did not exist before we came to earth (1 Cor. 15:46).
SALVATION	LDS - Two fold meaning: Simple bodily resurrection of all people. Also, forgiveness of sins.	Bible - Forgiveness of sins with the result of a present new life and in the future eternal life with God (1 Cor. 15:1-4; Rom. 6:23; 10:9-10).
SATAN	LDS - The opposer of God, literal son of God, brother of Jesus and all people begotten in the pre-existent spirit world.	Bible - A fallen angel who rebelled against God.
SCRIPTURE	LDS - Bible, Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, Pearl of Great Price.	Bible - Only the Bible is scripture.
TEMPLE	LDS - A present day temple used to practice the ordinances and ceremonies of the gospel of the LDS church on behalf of the living as well as the dead.	Bible - The Old Testament building where God dwelt, sacrifices were offered, and holy priestly rites were administered. There is no longer a need for temples.
TRINITY	LDS- Three gods: a god called the Father; a god called the son; a god called the Holy Ghost.	Bible - The one and only God in all existence who is comprised of three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. See Trinity.

Go to http://scriptures.lds.org/bd/contents for a list of Mormon words and definitions produced by the LDS church.

WHO DO YOU TRUST: JESUS CHRIST, OR MORMON PROPHETS AND APOSTLES?

2011-01-31T21:31:00.000-06:00

In Defense of Christianity

Mormon Mission Midwest Outreach exists to defend Christianity against the charges made against it by 'The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,' more commonly known as 'The Mormon Church.' MMMOs mission is to evangelize Mormons, educate both Christians and non-Christians about the teachings of Mormonism, and encourage those who have left Mormonism to come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, the Jesus of the Bible.
On the front cover of Newsweek, October 17, 2005, is a stain glass window depiction of the “First Vision” of Mormonism with the title “The Making of the Mormons,” subtitled “Beyond Prophecy and Polygamy: The Future Of a Booming Faith.” On page 58 is an interview with the current Mormon Prophet, Gordon B. Hinckley. The following question was asked, “Could you talk about religious intolerance and conflict around the world? It is a difficult age.” (Newsweek, Oct 17, 2005, pg 58). The following is President Hinckley’s response: “Hateful. Meanness. Bitterness. I don’t like it. We’re all sons and daughters of God, and therefore in a very literal sense, brothers and sisters. And we ought to treat each other that way.” (Newsweek, Oct 17, 2005, pg 58). After reading the rest of this article, ask yourself if the above statement is just a bit disingenuous when compared to the evidence listed below.
The very beginning of the Mormon Church was, and continues to be, an all out attack on Christianity. The foundational belief of Mormonism from its inception is that all Christian Churches are wrong, all Christian Creeds are abomination in God’s eye and all professors of Christianity are corrupt.

BACKGROUND: Mormonism begins with Joseph Smith, the founding prophet and the “First Vision.” The “First Vision” story, as now told by the Mormon Church, is that Joseph Smith, born in Sharon, Vermont in 1805, was living in Palmyra, New York in the year 1820. There was a great excitement concerning religion happening in the Western New York area and Joseph was confused on which church he should join. The “official” version of the “First Vision” states that Joseph was reading in his Bible in the Book of James, chapter 1 verse 5: “If any of you lack wisdom let him ask God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” Joseph said “Never did any passage of scripture come with more power to the heart of man than this did at this time to mine.”
THE VISION: So, Joseph claims he retired to some woods near his home and knelt down and prayed. Joseph states that as he prayed a vision opened up to him:
16. …I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me.
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!
18.    My object in going to inquire of the Lord was to know which of all the sects was right, that I might know which to join. No sooner, therefore, did I get possession of myself, so as to be able to speak, than I asked the Personages who stood above me in the light, which of all the sects was right – and which I should join.
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.” (Pearl of Great Price, Joseph Smith 2:16-19, 1977)
The above quote comes from one of the books of the “Official” Mormon Canon, The Pearl of Great Price. This quote is part of Joseph Smith’s recounting of the “First Vision,” which is day one, hour one, minute one, second one, of Mormonism.
So, the first moment of Mormonism is an all out attack on the last six thousand years of Judeo-Christian history. The above passages are further broken down in Mormonism to state that Joseph said that the “Personages” were none other than God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ; and that the “Personage” who answered him in verse 19 was Jesus Christ himself. The all out attack is as follows: (1) In that one sentence of verse 19, Joseph Smith destroys all of known Christianity. In that sentence prior to the semi-colon, three major points are made: first – that all Christian churches are wrong; second – that all their creeds are an abomination; and third – that all professors of Christianity are corrupt. This effectively destroys all of Christianity in one sentence: he eliminates all Christian Churches by stating they are all wrong; he eliminates all Christian Theology by pronouncing Christian Creeds as an abomination; and he eliminates all Christians by saying that as a professor of Christianity they are corrupt. (2) Joseph Smith redefines God. For six thousand years the Judeo-Christian belief was in one God. In this “First Vision” Joseph Smith and Mormonism say that God the Father is a distinct individual with a body of flesh and bones and Jesus also is a distinct individual with a body of flesh and bones.
ATTACKS ON CHRISTIANITY IN OTHER MORMON SCRIPTURE:   The all out attack on Christianity only begins with the “First Vision.” Mormonism adds three additional books to their canon of scripture: The Book of Mormon, The Doctrine and Covenants, and The Pearl of Great Price; each of these additional books of Mormon scripture attack Christianity.
The recounting of the “First Vision” as previously listed is an attack from The Pearl of Great Price. The book The Doctrine and Covenants attacks Christianity in the very first section:
30. And also those to whom these commandments were given, might have power to lay the foundation of this church, and to bring it forth out of obscurity and out of darkness, the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth, with which I, the Lord, am well pleased, speaking unto the church collectively and not individually—. (Doctrine and Covenants, 1:30)
This verse from Mormon scripture is clearly an attack on Christianity, stating that the Mormon Church was brought forth out of the “darkness” of Christianity and is “the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth…” The Mormon Church being “the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth” relegates all of Christianity to being false and dead.
The first additional book of Mormon scripture, The Book of Mormon, also attacks Christianity. It states that there are only two churches on the earth, “the church of the Lamb of God, and the other is the church of the devil.” As we’ve already seen, the Mormon Church defines itself as “the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth,” that therefore relegates all of Christianity to the “church of the devil.”
10. And he said unto me: Behold there are save two churches only; the one is the church of the Lamb of God, and the other is the church of the devil; wherefore, whoso belongeth not to the church of the Lamb of God belongeth to that great church, which is the mother of abominations; and she is the whore of all the earth. (Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi 14:10)
As we have just defined from Mormon scripture, the Mormon Church is “the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth,” and “whoso belongeth not to the church of the Lamb of God belongeth to that great church, which is the mother of abominations; and she is the whore of all the earth.” So, by definition from Mormon scripture, all Christian churches and all Christians, because they do not belong to the Mormon Church, are part of the “church of the devil” which is “the whore of all the earth.”
ATTACKS ON CHRISTIANITY BY MORMON CHURCH LEADERS: The following are quotes from Mormon Church prophets and apostles that attack Christianity. (All quotes are from Mormon Church source material – no “anti-Mormon” sources are used.)
A. ALL NON-MORMONS CALLED ANTI-CHRIST:
1. This quote is from Brigham Young: “…and he that confesseth not that Jesus has
come in the flesh and sent Joseph Smith with the fullness of the Gospel to this
generation, is not of God, but is Antichrist.” (Journal of Discourses, Vol 9 pg 312).
B. CHRISTIANITY AS A WHOLE ATTACKED:
1. This quote is from Brigham Young: “Brother Taylor has just said that the religions of the day were hatched in hell. The eggs were laid in hell, hatched on its borders, and kicked on to the earth.” (Journal of Discourses, Vol 6, pg 176).
2. This quote is from Brigham Young: “The people called Christians are shrouded in ignorance, and read the Scriptures with darkened understandings.” (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 7, p.333).
3. This quote is from Brigham Young: “The Christian world, so-called, are heathens as to the knowledge of the salvation of God.” (Journal of Discourses, Vol 8, pg 171).
4. This quote is from one of the original Mormon Twelve Apostles, Parley P. Pratt: “But returning to the general corruption that has prevailed nationally, politically, and religiously, under the name of Christianity, leaving out Christ and his Apostles, I do think there has been no idolatry in the world, under any form or system, that could surpass it. It is the mystery of iniquity, the great whore of all the earth. It has brought the whole earth under a lasting curse, having departed from the laws of God, changed the ordinances, and broken the everlasting covenant, in consequence of which the earth is destined to be burned, and few men left.” (Journal of Discourses, Vol 3, p. 41).
5. This quote is from Brigham Young: “Should you ask why we differ from other Christians, as they are called, it is simply because they are not Christians as the New Testament defines Christianity.” (Journal of Discourses, Vol 10, pg 230).
6. This quote is from Brigham Young: “Do the Christian world know whether God has eyes to see, ears to hear, or hands, or a body? They are as ignorant of the true God as are those islanders, and all whom we call heathen.” (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 6, p.195).
7. This quote is from the third Mormon Prophet, John Taylor: “What! Are Christians ignorant? Yes, as ignorant of the things of God as the brute beast.” (Journal of Discourses, Vol 6, pg 25).
8. This quote is from the third Mormon Prophet, John Taylor: “We talk about Christianity, but it is a perfect pack of nonsense….and the Devil could not invent a better engine to spread his work than the Christianity of the nineteenth century.” (Journal of Discourses, Vol 6, pg 167).
9. This quote is from the third Mormon Prophet, John Taylor: “What does the Christian world know about God? Nothing…Why so far as the things of God are concerned, they are the veriest of fools; they know neither God nor the things of God.” (Journal of Discourses, Vol 13, pg 225).
10. This quote is from President George Q. Cannon, while he was serving as 1st Counselor to Mormon Prophet John Taylor: “We belong, because of our obedience, to the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, to what is known as the Church of Christ, while those who have not embraced this Gospel and entered into covenant with God, belong to the other church—that is the church which is called in the revelations of God, the whore of all the earth, or the mother of abominations. That is the distinction which exists between the Latter-day Saints and the rest of mankind.” (Journal of Discourses, Vol 25, pp. 362-363).
11. This quote is from one of the original Mormon Twelve Apostles, Orson Pratt: “Thrones shall be cast down, and the Ancient of Days shall sit, and the body of the fourth beast (or Babylon) shall be given to the devouring flame, and then shall the remnant of the heathen know that the Lord is God, for they shall see and hear of his judgments, which he shall execute upon the corrupt powers of the earth under the name of modern Christianity, scripturally called "Babylon the Great"—"The whore of all the earth," with whom the nations for centuries have committed fornication, and have drank out of her filthy cup. O Babylon! thou hast decked thyself with costly ornaments! Thou has clothed thyself with the most gaudy apparel! Thy seminaries of learning, and thy theological institutions have been multiplied far and wide. Thy priests are polished with all the refinements of a profound and extensive education. Thy costly and magnificent churches have been erected in great numbers throughout all thy borders.” (The Essential Orson Pratt, p.109).
12. This is a quote from Mormon Apostle Hyrum M. Smith, at Conference October 1916: “In fact, my brethren and sisters, if the falsity of a religion can be measured in any degree by the amount of trouble and turmoil and strife and bitterness and hatred that it has engendered in the hearts of men, if it can be judged by the number of wars it has carried on and the rivers of blood it has shed, the amount of misery and sorrow, it has caused, or the extremes of impurity, found among its adherents, then Christianity, that which is known as Christianity, is the falsest of all religions in the world… The trouble is, as God declared to Joseph the Prophet, mankind have gone astray. Their religions are an abomination in his sight, and their professors are corrupt because they have turned away from the truth and have turned unto fables.” (Conference Report, October 1916, p.43).
13. This quote is from 12th Mormon Prophet, Spencer W. Kimball, who served as Prophet of the Mormon Church until his death in 1985: “Presumptuous and blasphemous are they who purport to baptize, bless, marry, or perform other sacraments in the name of the Lord while in fact lacking the specific authorization.” (The Miracle of Forgiveness, pg 55).
14. This quote is from Mormon Apostle Bruce R. McConkie in his monumental work, Mormon Doctrine: “Christianity is the religion of the Christians. Hence, true and acceptable Christianity is found among the saints who have the fullness of the gospel, and a perverted Christianity holds sway among the so-called Christians of apostate Christendom.” (Mormon Doctrine, 1958, pg. 123).
15. This quote is from Mormon Apostle Bruce R. McConkie in his monumental work, Mormon Doctrine: “Division and dissention, contention, confusion and discord – these are among the prevailing characteristics of the kingdom of the devil; and they are nowhere better illustrated than in the sects of Christendom.” (Mormon Doctrine, 1958, pg 630)
C. CATHOLICS ATTACKED:

This blistering quote is from Mormon Apostle Bruce R. McConkie in his epic work, Mormon Doctrine, under the heading “Church of the Devil”: “There are two scriptural senses in which the titles church of the devil and great and abominable church are used: 1. All churches or organizations of whatever name or nature—whether political, philosophical, educational, economic, social, fraternal, civic, or religious—which are designed to take men on a course that leads away from God and his laws and thus from salvation in the kingdom of God; and 2. The Roman Catholic Church specifically—singled out, set apart, described, and designated as being “most abominable above all other churches.” (1 Ne. 13:5).” (Mormon Doctrine, 1958, pg 129).

D. PROTESTANTS ATTACKED:

This quote is from Mormon Apostle Bruce R. McConkie in his epic work, Mormon doctrine, under the heading “Protestants.” You will notice how “Protestants” are identified as a “dead branch broken from a dead tree”: “Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are not Protestants, and the Church itself is not a Protestant Church. The true Church is not a dead branch from a dead tree; it is a living tree planted again by revelation in the vineyard of the Lord, and it shall grow and flourish long after the vineyard has been burned and every dead branch and vine has been consumed as stubble.” (Mormon Doctrine, 1958, pg 548).

E. CATHOLICS, EPISCOPALS AND BAPTISTS ATTACKED:

1. This quote is from President Charles W. Penrose, who served as a Mormon Apostle and as 1st and 2nd Counselors to the 6th and 7th Mormon Prophets: “That which is ordained of God will stand, and that which is not ordained of Him will be destroyed. Ordinances administered by men unauthorized of God—whether it be the sacrament, or pertaining to marriage—will have an end when men are dead; they will not pass beyond the grave. Every baptism of the Catholic Church, and of the Episcopal Church, and of the Baptist Church, or any other church, if God Almighty did not ordain and authorize the man who performed the ordinance even though he performed it in the right way and used the right words, is null and void and as though it had never been performed, with the exception that God will judge him who in administering it without authority took His holy name in vain.” (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 25, p.339)

F. METHODISTS ATTACKED:

1. This quote is from President Heber C. Kimball, 1st Counselor to Brigham Young: “Can you change these ordinances? No. They are eternal; they always were and always will be; and no man or woman upon earth can be saved without them. You may get a Methodist priest to pour water on you, or sprinkle it on you, and baptize you face foremost, or lay you down the other way, and whatever mode you please, and you will be damned with your priest. There is but one way, and that is to be buried in water, buried with Christ by baptizing in water, that your sins may be blotted out by one having authority, or else it will do you no good.” (Journal of Discourses, vol. 5, p.90).
G. LUTHERANS ATTACKED:
1. This quote is from one of the original Mormon Twelve Apostles, Orson Pratt, describing the Lutherans as the “harlot daughter of the Catholics”: “29. In the meantime another harlot daughter of the Catholics--the Lutherans, formed another canon, and rejected many books that the English daughter did not.” (Divine Authenticity of the Book of Mormon, p.40).
H. CATHOLICS AND PROTESTANTS ATTACKED:
1. This quote is from one of the original Mormon Twelve Apostles, Orson Pratt: “The European nations with the United States come more particularly under the dominion of the "great and abominable church," which includes all the churches of apostate christendom, both Catholic and Protestant.” (The Seer, Vol.2, No.4, p.246).
2. This quote is from President John Taylor, the third Mormon Prophet: “Babylon, literally understood, is the gay world; spiritual wickedness, the golden city, and the glory of the world, The priests of Egypt, who received a portion gratis from Pharaoh; the priests of Baal, and the Pharisees, and Sadducees, with their "long robes," among the Jews, are equally included in their mother's family, with the Roman Catholics, Protestants, and all that have not had the keys of the kingdom and power thereof, according to the ordinances of God.” (Times and Seasons, Vol.6, No.1, p.939)
3. This quote is from one of the original Mormon Twelve Apostles, Orson Pratt: “But we would inform the Catholics, that the Church of Christ has not ceased to exist, neither has Peter ceased his existence, but both the Church and Peter are in heaven, far out of the reach of the gates of hell, and far out of the reach of the abominable soul-destroying impositions of popery. The gates of hell have prevailed and will continue to prevail over the Catholic mother of harlots, and over all her Protestant daughters;…” (Divine Authenticity of the Book of Mormon, p.44).
4. This is also a quote from one of the original Mormon Twelve Apostles, Orson Pratt: “Dare any other societies in all the world make such a promise unto the believers in their respective systems? No, they dare not; they know full well that it would be the speedy downfall and utter overthrow of their vain, unauthorized, and powerless religions. O, what a wide and marked difference between the religion of Joseph Smith and that of Protestant and Catholic religion--between his authority and that of sectarian divines!” (Divine Authority, p.16).

I. ROMAN CATHOLIC, GREEK, AND PROTESTANTS ATTACKED:

This quote is from one of the original Mormon Twelve Apostles, Orson Pratt: “The Roman Catholic, Greek, and Protestant church is the great corrupt ecclesiastic power, represented by great Babylon which has made all nations drunk with her wickedness, and she must fall, after she has been warned with the sound of "the everlasting gospel." Her overthrow will be by a series of the most terrible judgments which will quickly succeed each other, and sweep over the nations where she has her dominion, and at last she will be utterly burned by fire, for thus hath the Lord spoken. Great, and fearful, and most terrible judgments are decreed upon these corrupt powers, the nations of modern Christendom; for strong is the Lord God who shall execute His fierce wrath upon them, and He will not cease until He has made a full end, and until their names be blotted out from under heaven.” (Divine Authenticity of the Book of Mormon, pp 84 – 85).

J. GREEKS, ROMAN CATHOLICS AND ALL OF CHRISTENDOM ATTACKED:

This quote is from third Mormon Prophet, John Taylor: “Shall we go to the Greek Church for the true authority? It is based pretty much upon the same principle as the Roman Catholic Church is, and all the sectarian bodies of Christendom are as destitute of the true authority of God as the mother church is.” (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 10, p.127).

K. PROTESTANT, CATHOLIC, PRESBYTERIAN, BAPTIST, METHODIST AND CONGREGATIONALISTS ATTACKED:

This is a quote from Mormon Apostle Hyrum M. Smith at the Salt Lake City Tabernacle, October 7, 1916, during Conference: “It would be just as consistent for the Latter-day Saints, who have come out of the Protestant churches or the Catholic church, or for the children of men and women who came out of the Presbyterian church or the Baptist, or the Methodist, or the Congregationalist, to take sides with those corrupt and apostate churches in their contentions and their quarrels among themselves. We, or our fathers who received the gospel of Jesus Christ, as it has been proclaimed by divinely appointed and authorized men in this dispensation, have been born again. We have forsaken the corrupt religions of the world, and we have foresworn all allegiance to these false churches. We have no interest in their contentions. At least the only interest we have in them is a desire that the adherents of these various churches may also see the light, come to a knowledge of the truth, and forsake evil and error and falsehood, and receive the gospel of Christ which is the power of God unto salvation.” (Conference Report, October 1916, pg. 41).

From day one, hour one, minute one, second one, of Mormonism, as we saw in the “First Vision” account, the continuous attacks down through time by Mormon Prophets and Apostles, to the attacks resident in the current canon of Mormonism, the Mormon Church leaders and their unique scripture have launched an all out attack on Christianity!
So what does God’s inerrant word, the Bible, say about these attacks against Christianity levied by the Mormon Church? In Matthew Chapter 16, verse 18, we read:
18.   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.
According to Mormonism, Jesus must have lied, because that scripture, in my Bible is all in red letters. Matthew 16:18 is Jesus saying the gates of hell will not prevail against His church; but in Mormonism, the gates of hell did prevail and that is why Joseph Smith had to restore the “Church” back to the earth.
Mormonism teaches the “gospel” was lost to the earth and had to be restored; Joseph Smith being the vehicle of the restoration. How do we come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ? The Bible tells us in the 10th chapter of Romans, verse 17:
17.   So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
What is God’s Word? It is the Bible. What does God’s Word say about God’s Word? In 1 Peter chapter 1, verse 25 we read:
25.    But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.
It is clear from this scripture that God’s Word, the Bible, endures forever, and this very word is how the gospel is preached. So, was the Holy Spirit lying through Peter? According to Mormonism, that must be the case. Why else would a “restoration” through Joseph Smith need to be done? In Psalms 119, verse 89, we read:
89.    For ever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven.
The Psalmist clearly tells us that God’s Word is forever settled in heaven and, as we just saw in 1 Peter 1:25, God’s Word endures forever and is the vehicle used to preach the gospel to us. Isaiah chapter 40, verse 8, reads:
8. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.
I don’t think the Holy Spirit, speaking through Isaiah, could have said it any clearer: the grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of God stands forever. It appears that according to Mormonism, the Holy Spirit lied through Isaiah as well.
The next scripture we’ll look at is all red letters as well. Let’s look at Matthew chapter 5, verse 18:
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.
The “jot” and the “tittle” are the smallest marks in Hebrew script. Jesus was saying here that not the smallest part would be lost from His Word. Again, is Mormonism calling Jesus a liar?
Let’s look at the red lettering again in Luke chapter 21, verse 33:
33.   Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.
In Mormonism, Jesus didn’t keep his word. In Mormonism, the Bible cannot be trusted and was corrupted; because of this, a restoration of the truth had to come through Joseph Smith. This isn’t just my opinion. Let’s let Joseph Smith speak for himself. In The Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith we read:
“…it was apparent that many important points touching the salvation of men, had been taken from the Bible, or lost before it was compiled.” (The Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pp. 10-11)
So, when Jesus said not one “jot” or “tittle” would be lost, and that heaven and earth would pass away, but His Word would never pass away, Joseph Smith just called Jesus a liar. Let’s let Mormon unique scriptures speak as well. This next quote says the Bible is not enough and is taken from the book of 2 Nephi, contained in the Book of Mormon:
6. Thou fool, that shall say: A Bible, we have got a Bible, and we need no more
Bible…” (Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 29:6)
Mormonism says the Bible cannot be trusted and has been corrupted; again, contradicting the words of Jesus Christ. Orson Pratt, one of the original Mormon Twelve Apostles, clearly attacks the reliability of the Bible
“But the Bible has been robbed of its plainness; many sacred books having been lost, others rejected by the Romish Church, and what few we have left, were copied and recopied so many times, that it is admitted that almost every verse has been corrupted and mutilated….” (The Seer, p. 213).
Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words shall never pass away,” while Mormon Apostle Orson Pratt says, “Almost every verse has been corrupted and mutilated.”
WHO DO YOU TRUST: JESUS CHRIST, OR MORMON PROPHETS AND APOSTLES?
We stand confidently at Mormon Mission Midwest Outreach using God’s Holy Word, the Bible, to defend Christianity from the attacks made upon it from Mormon Doctrine and teachings!
Join with the Mormon Missions Midwest Outreach and be a Jude 3 Christian:
3.Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.
by Rocky Hulse
January 2006
© Copyright 2002-2011, Mormon Missions Midwest Outreach—Permission is granted to reproduce, provided content is not changed and this copyright notice is included.

"Just Another Bad Theory"

2011-01-16T14:41:00.000-06:00

Over at "Darwin's God" is a link to a "survey of failed evolutionary predictions" - the website DarwinsPredictions.com. The featured article is a lengthy explanation of some predictions inherent in Darwin's Theory of Evolution, and how they have failed. The logical premise of the argument is that the simplest explanation is usually the correct one. A theory which becomes too complicated with modifications and falsifications should be scrapped in favor of a better and more parsimonious model. Such is the case with (Macro-)Evolution, according to article author, Cornelius Hunter.

I'm not going to rehash Hunter's article; I leave it to the reader to enjoy the reading firsthand. What I want to do here is to use the same argument with the Mormon faith.

Man-made religion is and has always been an attempt to explain the overall picture and gain a correct worldview. Who we are, why we are, where we are going, and who or what put us here... there are factual answers to these questions. Each religious theory put forth by men will eventually fail because we human-beings are just too limited in our understanding. God must GIVE US the true religious model because He is the only one who knows everything.

Now, the LDS Church believes itself to be the one true church on earth, restored from fallen Christianity. If it is what it claims to be, we can then expect that its set of predictions will hold fast. If it is not the one true church, we can expect to see its predictions fail. Did God give Joseph Smith, Jr. the truth, or did Joseph build his church upon his own religious hypotheses? This is something we can know. Let's look at some of the inherent predictions, and their outcomes.

If Mormonism were true...

1. ... Joseph Smith would have been able to consistently, accurately, remember his visit from two separate supernatural beings, God the Father and Jesus the Son. We now know that is not the case (for more info, see here, here, and here).

2. ...the LDS "truth" that there are at least two gods, our Heavenly (spirit) Father, whose name is Elohim, and Jesus (Elohim's son), whose spirit-name is Jehovah, would have been consistent since Mormonism's beginnings. Instead, the Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith's first work, preaches that there is only one (modal) God (see Alma 11:26-31, 2 Nephi 31:21, Mosiah 15:1-5 for example). Joseph Smith originally taught that Jesus' father's name was Jehovah, and Brigham Young, Mormonism's second prophet, taught that Heavenly Father was actually Adam, the first man on earth. Joseph also originally taught that of the three members of the "Godhead," only Jesus had a body. That of course is no longer Mormon belief.

3. ...the Book of Mormon, a book that is supposed to contain the "fulness of the gospel," would teach on the plurality of gods, man's potential for godhood, eternal marriage in Mormon temples, baptism for the dead, three degrees of heaven, and the other beliefs that separate Mormonism from orthodox Christianity. Not only does the Book of Mormon not teach these things, it and the other LDS scriptures frequently contradict current Mormon truths, and each other.

4. ...there would be evidence of a large battle on or around the Hill Cumorah in New York, and other archeological evidence to support the notion of Book of Mormon life on this continent. Instead, LDS apologists are still struggling to locate and identify possible Book of Mormon geography sites (see also here and here).

5. ...the Book of Mormon would not contain Greek and French words like "adieu" and "Jesus" and "Alpha" and "Omega." It would not speak of things that had not yet been invented. It would not contain quotes from the KJV Bible, including KJV mistakes. It would not abuse the phrase "it came to pass" in all of its books but two. It would not contain country-boy vernacular. But it does.

6. ...when portions of the papyri used to create the Book of Abraham were recovered and translated, the text would be very similar to what Joseph had written. Instead, just as you would expect if Joseph Smith had bought merely a couple of random mummies that had been found in an ordinary catacomb from a man with many mummies and scraps to sell, the papyri has been discovered to be common Egyptian funerary documents.

I could continue making this list, but I think I've made my point. If Joseph Smith did not actually have the "First Vision," if he personally wrote (instead of translated from ancient golden plates) the Book of Mormon, if he personally wrote the Book of Abraham... these things are Mormonism's foundational blocks. Are they missing? The failed predictions indicate that they are, indeed, missing. Thus the "restored" doctrine of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a bad religious theory, and should be scrapped.

Mormonism: The Religion of NO!

2011-01-04T17:45:00.001-06:00

Joseph Smith

When we look at Mormon teachings in comparison to the teachings of Christianity, we find that Mormonism truly is the religion of NO! Christianity states truths about the teachings of the Bible, and Mormonism says NO! In my book When Salt Lake City Calls, I compare Mormonism to the Eight Essential Fundamentals of Christianity, let’s begin looking at the Religion of NO there and then look at some of the other teachings of NO in Mormonism.

The Religion of NO, and the Eight Essential Fundamentals of Christianity

On page 49 of When Salt Lake City Calls, I list the The Eight Essential Fundamentals of Christianity:

The Deity of Christ
The Trinity
Bodily Resurrection
Salvation by Grace
Sufficiency of Scripture
Universality of Sin
The Atonement
The Virgin Birth

Mormonism says NO to all of these fundamental teachings of Christianity.
The Deity of Christ

1. CHRISTIANITY: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, an the Word was God.” (John 1:1) “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.” (John 1:14)
MORMONISM: “Jesus is man’s spiritual brother. We dwelt with Him in the spirit world as members of that large society of eternal intelligences, which included our Heavenly Parents and all the personages who have become mortal beings upon this earth or who ever shall come here to dwell. In that spirit-creation, when we became children of God, Jesus was the “first born,” and so He is our eldest brother.” (The Gospel Through the Ages, pg 21.)
So, the Religion of NO says Jesus isn’t God, he’s our elder brother. Really?

The Trinity

2. CHRISTIANITY: Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name [singular] of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:”. [bracketed word added] (Matthew 28:19)
MORMONISM: “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.” (Doctrine and Covenants 130:22)
So, the Religion of NO says the Trinity can’t be true because God isn’t Spirit, God has a body, and the Holy Spirit is a “personage of Spirit.” Seriously?

Bodily Resurrection

3. CHRISTIANITY: “And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6:40)
MORMONISM: “Contrary to the views found in the uninspired teachings and creeds of modern Christendom, there are in eternity kingdoms in glory to which all resurrected persons (except the sons of perdition) will eventually go. These are named: celestial, terrestial, and telestial—the glory of each being beyond comprehension.” (Mormon Doctrine, pg 420).
So, the Religion of NO says the view of the resurrection as taught by Christianity, as found in the Bible, is uninspired and they must add a man-made, non-Biblical definition to it. They’re joking right? Sadly, they’re not.

Salvation by Grace

4. CHRISTIANITY: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)
MORMONISM: “One of the most fallacious doctrines originated by Satan and propounded by man is that man is saved alone by the grace of God; that belief in Jesus Christ alone is all that is needed for salvation.” (Mormon Prophet Spencer W. Kimball in The Miracle of Forgiveness, pg 206)
So, the Religion of NO says that “Salvation by Grace” is a fallacious doctrine from Satan.” Ridiculous!

Sufficiency of Scripture

5. CHRISTIANITY: “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.” (Matthew 24:35)
MORMONISM: “Who, in his right mind, could, for one moment, suppose the Bible in its present form to be a perfect guide? Who knows that even one verse of the Bible has escaped pollution?” (Mormon Apostle Orson Pratt in Divine Authenticity of the Book of Mormon. From a series of pamphlets. Liverpool, England: np., 1851)
So, the Religion of NO says that the Bible cannot be trusted; in fact, no one knows that even a single verse has been transmitted to us in our day without being polluted. Jesus says His words shall not pass away; the Religion of NO says they did. They can’t possibly believe this – oh, but they do!

Universality of Sin

6. CHRISTIANITY: “Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.” (Ephesians 2:3)
MORMONISM: “Some may regret that our first parents sinned. This is nonsense. IF we had been there, and they had not sinned, we should have sinned. I will not blame Adam or Eve, why? Because it was necessary that sin should enter the world; no man could ever understand the principle of exaltation without its opposite; no one could ever receive an exaltation without being acquainted with its opposite. How did Adam and Eve sin? Did they come out in direct opposition to God and His government? No. Dut they transgressed a command of the Lord, and through that transgression sin came into the world. The Lord knew they would do this, and He designed that they should.” (Brigham Young in Journal of Discourses, Vol 10, pg 312.)
So, the Religion of NO, says that the sin in the Garden of Eden was not “in direct opposition to God and to His government;” NO – “it was necessary that sin should enter the world.” The Religion of NO says it was God’s plan for Adam and Eve to sin. In fact in this quote, Brigham Young says one cannot be exalted without knowing sin; so, Jesus was a sinner? Only in the Religion of NO! Blasphemous!

The Atonement

7. CHRISTIANITY: “But if we walk in the light, as his is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7)
MORMONISM: “Joseph Smith taught that there were certain sins so grievous that man may commit, that they will place the transgressors beyond the power of the atonement of Christ. If these offenses are committed, then the blood of Christ will not cleanse them from their sins even though they repent. Therefore, their only hope is to have their own blood shed to atone, as far as possible, in their behalf. This is scriptural doctrine, and is taught in all the standard works of the Church.” (italics in the original, 10th Mormon Prophet, Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, Vol 1, pg 135)
So, the Religion of NO, says that the Blood of Jesus Christ does not cover all sin – in fact, the Religion of NO, says that the blood of the sinner has more cleansing power than the blood of the unblemished Lamb of God! Double Blasphemy!!

The Virgin Birth

8. CHRISTIANITY: “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.” (Matthew 1:18)
MORMONISM: “I have given you a few leading items upon this subject, but a great deal more remains to be told. Now remember from this time forth, and for ever, that Jesus Christ was not begotten by the Holy Ghost.” (Brigham Young in Journal of Discourses, Vol 1, pg 51) “These name-titles all signify that our Lord is the only Son of the Father in flesh. Each of the words is to be understood literally. Only means only; Begotten means begotten; and Son means son. Christ was begotten by an Immortal Father in the same way that mortal men are begotten by mortal fathers.” (Mormon Doctrine, pp. 546-547)
So, the Religion of NO, says that God being an exalted man with a body of flesh and bones fathered Jesus’ body the same way as all mortal men are fathered. The ultimate blasphemy!!

Other Statements of NO from Mormonism

Mormonism so strays from the teachings of the Bible that many unique teachings of Mormonism will be presented here, adding to the comparison between Mormonism and the Eight Essential Fundamentals of Christianity.

Jesus Died on the Cross for Our Sins

9. CHRISTIANITY: “Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;” (Col 2:14). “Who his own self bore our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness; by whose stripes ye where healed.” (1 Pet 2:24)
MORMONISM: On page fourteen of his book, “Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson,” the Thirteenth Prophet of the LDS Church stated it was in the Garden of Gethsemane that Christ “suffered as only God would suffer, bearing our griefs, carrying our sorrows, being wounded for our transgressions, voluntarily submitting Himself to the iniquity of us all, just as Isaiah prophesied.” He further states on the next page: “It was in Gethsemane that Jesus took on Himself the sins of the world, in Gethsemane that his pain was equivalent to the cumulative burden of all men, in Gethsemane that He descended below all things so that all could repent and come to Him” (Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, pg 15).

So, the Religion of NO says NO to the Cross and moves the Atonement to the Garden of Gethsemane.

There is only one God

10. CHRISTIANITY: 4. Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: (Deut 6:4)
MORMONISM: “I will preach on the plurality of Gods. I have selected this text for that purpose. I wish to declare I have always and in all congregations when I have preached on the subject of the Deity, it has been the plurality of Gods. (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pg. 370)
So, the Religion of NO says that there isn’t one God, rather there are a plurality of Gods. The pagans of the world teach the same thing. Birds of a feather, flock together.

Creation Ex-Nihilo

11. CHRISTIANITY: “Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.” Heb 11:3
MORMONISM: “You ask the learned doctors why they say the world was made out of nothing; and they will answer, ‘Doesn’t the Bible say He created the world?’ And they infer, from the word create, that it must have been made out of nothing. Now, the word baurau, which does not mean to create out of nothing; it means to organize; the same as a man would organize materials and build a ship. Hence we infer that God had materials to organize the world out of chaos—chaotic matter, which is element, and in which dwells all the glory. Element had an existence from the time he had. The pure principles of element are principles which can never be destroyed; they may be organized and reorganized, but not destroyed. They have no beginning, and can have no end.” (The Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pp. 350-352)
So, the Religion of NO says that God did not create the heavens and the earth from nothing. Instead Mormonism teaches that elements always existed and God only had the power to organize that which was already there. In Mormonism God is not all powerful!

by Rocky Hulse
© Copyright 2002, Mormon Missions Midwest Outreach—Permission is granted to reproduce, provided content is not changed and this copyright notice is included.

Biblical evidence of council of the gods

2010-11-12T10:26:00.000-06:00

In the LDS Church weekly periodical, Church News, for the “Week Ending August 14, 2010”, on page 5 we find the article titled “Biblical evidence of council of the gods,” by Church News Staff Writer R. Scott Lloyd. I read the article with interest and from its first paragraph I found the article to be very deceptive. The first paragraph reads as follows:
A frequent point of contention by critics against the Church is the doctrine that there is not just one, but a multiplicity of gods. Yet allusions to that concept pervade the Bible as well as ancient Near Eastern culture, Mormon scholar David Bolovoy said Aug. 6 at the annual conference of the Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research. (FAIR is not affiliated with the Church.)
Two important points jumped out at me in this first paragraph. The first point is the “multiplicity of gods.” The paragraph rightly notes that “critics” of the “Church” contend against the teaching of multiplicity of gods. Then the author promotes the concept that multiplicity of gods “pervades” the Bible and Near Eastern culture. I won’t argue that polytheism (many gods) is seen in the Old Testament as well as the cultures of the Biblical lands. What I find deceptive is the failure of the author to point out that this polytheistic belief and worship was not of God, but rather, of those who departed from God’s teachings and were condemned and punished by Him for their following after “other gods.” The failure to point this out is a deliberately deceptive omission done to support the non-Christian teaching of Mormonism that there are many gods.
The second point of this paragraph that jumped out at me was the deliberate distancing from the Mormon scholar, David Bokovoy’s speech delivered at the annual conference of the Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research (FAIR) from which the article is derived. The author highlights the fact that “FAIR is not affiliated with the Church.” The author takes great pains to point this out, yet nowhere in the rest of the article does he disagree with the Mormon doctrinal point that was made in the speech at the conference. I call this tactic: “Plausible Deniability.” This article and the Mormon doctrinal position it advocates would not be allowed in the “Church News” if the LDS Church leaders didn’t agree with it; yet, stating that “FAIR is not affiliated with the Church,” gives them the perfect “deniability” if any questions are raised about this doctrine. Neither the LDS Church prophet, his counselors, nor their twelve apostles, all of which can speak for the Church, will “officially” comment on such controversial doctrinal positions; so, they allow FAIR and other organizations to do their commenting for them and if anyone disagrees they pull out their “plausible deniability” statement: “FAIR is not affiliated with the Church.” It’s the perfect out. This allows LDS Church Authorities autonomy from controversial doctrines all the while indoctrinating the masses. It just doesn’t get any better than that! This tactic works well for them and is being employed in this article.
The second paragraph lays out Mormon scholar Bolovoy’s credentials as a means of credibility for the unsubstantiated statements from his speech “Joseph Smith and the Biblical Council of Gods.” Paragraphs 3-5 of the article quote from the referenced speech:
“The Prophet Joseph Smith, of course, produces that inspired Book of Abraham that really rocks the foundation of the Christian world at that time,” Brother Bolovoy said, “when he, through this translation, revises Genesis, chapter 1, the priestly version of the Creation, and introduces this concept of gods organizing the world.”
This paragraph is also very deceptive. The author specifically relates that the Book of Abraham was a “translation” and revised Genesis Chapter 1 from creation to “gods organizing the world.” The author again fails to bring to the attention of the reader that the “translation” of the Mormon Church canonized “Book of Abraham,” has been completely proven to be a fraud. The Egyptian papyri from which the “translation” supposedly occurred, were once thought to be lost, however, they were located in 1967 in the archives of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City and subsequently turned over to LDS Church. Immediate “translation” efforts were begun and it was found that the papyri were not the “Book of Abraham” but rather the “Book of the Dead,” an Egyptian funerary document. So, not only did the “translation” of the Egyptian papyri not support a rewriting of Genesis Chapter 1, but neither does the manuscript evidence of the Old Testament. The first chapter of Genesis is not in question amongst Biblical scholars.
In paragraph four R. Scott Lloyd, quotes Bokovoy promoting the Book of Abraham’s false doctrine of a pre-earth council of gods:
He quoted the Prophet as sermonizing, “In the beginning the head of the gods called a council of the gods. They came together and concocted a plan to create the world and people it. When we begin to learn this way, that God exists in this council structure with other divine beings that he calls gods, we begin to learn the only true God and what kind of being we have got to worship.”
The above quote is used as a segue, attempting to utilize Psalm 82 in support of the false doctrine of polytheism through a “council of gods”. The Church News article continues:
Hebrew words associated with the heavenly council of Gods include those translated as “council,” “meeting,” “assembly,” “congregation,” “the holy ones” and “sons of God,” a reference to the gods of the council, Brother Bokovoy said.
“One of the great ‘council’ texts is Psalm 82:1,” he said. He quoted the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, which reads, “God has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods he holds judgment.”
Psalm 82 is a classic prooftext used by Mormon Apologists in their attempt to support Mormon polytheism; however, this Psalm is anything but supportive of that false doctrine. Proper exegesis (exegesis: critical explanation or interpretation of a text or portion of a text) of Psalm 82 clearly shows that this is not a heavenly council of gods, but rather, a chastisement of earthly judges. Psalm 82 is a short psalm:
1 A Psalm of Asaph. God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods.
2 How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked? Selah.
3 Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy.
4 Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked.
5 They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course.
6 I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.
7 But ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes.
8 Arise, O God, judge the earth: for thou shalt inherit all nations.
Elementary hermeneutics (hermeneutics: the science of interpretation, esp. of the Scriptures) demands that we ask of any text: who, what, when, where, and how? The author of the subject article and the quoted Mormon scholar from the conference, want us to believe that God is in a council of “Gods,” a council of Deity. Rightfully, the King James translators, from verse one, identify the “whom” of this psalm with a lower case “g” as “gods,” not being Deity. A cursory reading of the psalm finds that these “gods” are being chastised: “2. How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked?” Does Deity judge unjustly? Does Deity accept the wicked? The author of the article, quoting Mormon scholar Bokovoy, leaves the King James Version of the text because another version uses the word ‘council’ which is the support beam he’s looking for:
“One of the great ‘council’ texts is Psalm 82:1,” he said. He quoted the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, which reads, “God has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods he holds judgment.”
“This is an exciting text,” he exclaimed. “It is, of course, the one Jesus cites when He defends His divinity in the New Testament.”
A simple reading of the text following verse 1 clearly shows us that this could not be a “council” of Gods, because these “gods” are being chastised for improper judging. These same “gods” are told in verse 7 that they “shall die like men.” Is this a possibility for “Deity?”
The word “elohim” in the Bible is usually translated “God”; however, it is sometimes translated as human authorities, as the context dictates. In Exodus 21:6, and 22:8-9, the word “elohim” is translated “judges,” denoting earthly judges. In an excellent book titled, “Hard Sayings of the Bible,” by Walter C. Kaiser Jr., Peter H. Davids, F.F. Bruce, and Manfred T. Brauch, we read the following discussion concerning the use of the word “elohim” in this text on page 279 and 280:
Therefore, it should not be altogether surprising that Psalm 82:1 should use this same word to refer to the executive or judicial branches of government – or that scholars have translated the word as “gods” in the past. In fact, Psalm 82:6 makes the case crystal clear by making all believers who “are sons of the Most High” to be “gods.”
In John 10:34, when accused of blasphemy, our Lord appealed to Psalm 82:6 by saying, “Is it not written in your Law ‘I have said you are gods’?” In so doing Jesus was demonstrating that the title could be attached to certain men “to whom the word of God came” (Jn 10:35), and therefore there could not be any prima facie objections lodged against his claims to be divine. There was a legitimate attachment of the word elohim to those people who had been specially prepared by God to administer his law and word to the people…
God now sits in judgment of these magistrates, for all they do goes on before his eyes. The question from on high is “How long will you defend the unjust and show partiality to the wicked?” This is the great assembly over which our Lord presides and the ones he now questions for their shabby handling of the complaints of the oppressed. But there is no hint of a belief in many gods or goddesses. Nor does God thereby imply they have the divine nature exclusive to the Trinity. It is simply a case where one term, elohim, must do double duty, referring not only to God but also to his special servants appointed for the unique tasks described in these contexts.
The article ends with these last two paragraphs:
There are two ways to understand “sons” in the expression “sons of God,” he said. One is that they are the literal offspring of God. But, he said, the word for “son” in all Semitic languages “has the connotation of referring to members of the group, caste or guild.”
“So quite frequently, in contemporary translations of ancient Near Eastern documents, one will see the expression ‘sons of God’ simply translated as ‘the gods,’ the members of that group,” Bokovoy said.
Mormonism uses singular Biblical texts to bolster its non-Christian doctrines while ignoring the whole of Bible. Wherever Biblical text disagrees with Mormon doctrine, the Bible is disregarded as “not translated correctly.” Within the world of scholarly exegesis of Biblical text, it is foundational practice that “scripture interprets scripture.” The premise being, that the Bible is God’s infallible word and is the standard from which interpretation begins. The Christian position is that scripture was written by the Holy Spirit as He moved upon the individual writers (II Pet 1:21). Jesus told us in Matthew 24:35 “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away”; this is not the premise in Mormonism. Mormon interpretation begins with their “living prophets,” and all else is secondary. If Bible scriptures disagree with the “living prophet,” then they cannot be trusted and the LDS belief is that they must have been polluted down through history (existing Biblical manuscript evidence clearly shows just the opposite: the Biblical text we have today can be fully trusted).
Mormon doctrine promotes that the human race is God’s literal offspring from a marital relationship between Him and his harem of wives in a pre-existent world, where we were born as “spirit babies” as a result of that marital relationship. This doctrine of the “pre-existence” where all of humanity is directly descended from “Father God,” who is an exalted man, is not Biblical. John 1:12 tells us: “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:” We are all God’s creation, but this scripture clearly tells us that only those who “received Him,” “He gave the right to become children of God.” If we were already “children of God” we would have no reason for him to give us “the right to become children of God.” That “right” would be irrelevant. Two other scriptures (as scripture interprets scripture) tell us that the physical was created first, then spiritual, not vice versa:
Zechariah 12:1 “The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, saith the LORD, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him.”
I Corinthians 15:46 “Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.”
Zechariah clearly tells us in 12:1 that the Lord formed the spirit of man “within him.” The body had to be in existence for the spirit to be formed in it. Paul tells us quite specifically in I Cor 15:46 that the natural (physical) was first and the spiritual “afterward.”
This article in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints “Church News” I believe is the epitome of deception. The LDS Church is allowing an outside organization that they specifically disavow as having authority to speak for the Church, do its heavy lifting on its controversial doctrine of plurality of God and allows the use of Psalm 82 to bolster this doctrine when clearly the text of the scripture is not talking about a heavenly council of Gods. It is unconscionable that, in spite of textual evidence to the contrary, this church is determined to promote its false doctrine above God’s written word.
Please pray for the Mormon people. Jesus died on the Cross for them the same as for you and me.

The Mormon Murders Twenty-Five Years Later

2010-10-25T15:56:00.000-05:00

By Sandra Tanner and Rocky Hulse

It has been twenty-five years since Mark Hofmann, a returned missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), forged numerous historical documents, blew up two innocent people with pipe bombs, and was given a plea bargain instead of going to trial.

Left to right: Mark Hofmann, 1st Counselor N. Eldon Tanner, LDS President Spencer W. Kimball, 2nd Counselor Marion G. Romney, Apostle Boyd K. Packer and Apostle Gordon B. Hinckley. (Photo by Jed A. Clark)

Why would the prosecuting attorneys offer a plea bargain when Hofmann had been charged with thirty-two felony counts and two murders?[1] It becomes clearer if you understand the tremendous power the LDS Church has over the state of Utah. Placing Mark Hofmann on trial would have meant calling LDS Prophets and Apostles to the witness stand. These LDS Church Authorities had been utterly fooled by him into purchasing thousands of dollars worth of forged documents relating to early Mormon history.

Nothing in Mark Hofmann's past indicated a dark, sinister side. He was born and raised a Mormon and went on his two-year mission to southwest England, returning in 1976. Married in the Salt Lake LDS temple in 1979, outwardly Mark appeared to be a faithful Mormon. However, as he learned more about problems in early LDS history, he found an easy target to exploit in the LDS Church's desperate need for control of its history.

Since the beginning of Mormonism, founder Joseph Smith has been accused of fraud, deceit, folklore, magic and mysticism. In 1834 E. D. Howe published the first exposé of Mormonism titled Mormonism Unvailed, which contained a number of statements by the Smiths' neighbors, accusing them of deceit and seeking buried treasures through the use of magic.

One neighbor of the Smiths charged that he accompanied Joseph Smith, Jr., and his father, Joseph Smith, Sen., on a nocturnal treasure hunt where he was assured that they would find "two or three kegs of gold and silver, some feet under the surface of the earth." But after drawing two magic circles, lining one with a row of witch hazel sticks, driving a steel rod in the center, digging a five foot trench around the rod, an evil spirit "caused the money to sink." Joseph Smith, Sen., informed him that "we had made a mistake in the commencement of the operation; if it had not been for that, said he, we should have got the money."[2] The farmer went on to state: "When they [the Smiths] found that the people of this vicinity would no longer put any faith in their schemes for digging money, they then pretended to find a gold bible, of which, they said, the book of Mormon was only an introduction."[3]

Prior to telling his neighbors of the gold plates, Joseph Smith was arrested in 1826 on a misdemeanor charge relating to his money-digging. In Judge Albert Neeley's papers he described Smith as the "glass looker," referring to his use of a stone in his hat to discern the location of buried treasures. At the hearing, Joseph informed Judge Neeley that he had given up money-digging:

[Joseph Smith stated] he had a certain stone, which he had occasionally looked at to determine where hidden treasures in the bowels of the earth were; . . . that at Palmyra he pretended to tell, by looking at this stone, where coined money was buried in Pennsylvania, and while at Palmyra he had frequently ascertained in that way where lost property was, of various kinds; that he has occasionally been in the habit of looking through this stone to find lost property for three years, but of late had pretty much given it up on account its injuring his health, especially his eyes—made them sore; that he did not solicit business of this kind, and had always rather declined having anything to do with this business.[4]

Smith may have turned from his occupation of treasure digging but he continued to use his seer stone. When he first claimed to acquire the gold plates of the Book of Mormon he used the divinely prepared "Urim and Thummim," allegedly preserved with the plates, for the work of translating the unknown script. However, after the loss of the first 116 pages of transcription, he switched to using his money-digging stone to complete the work. Book of Mormon witness, David Whitmer wrote:

I will now give you a description of the manner in which the Book of Mormon was translated. Joseph would put the seer stone into a hat, and put his face in the hat, drawing it closely around his face to exclude the light; and in the darkness the spiritual light would shine. A piece of something resembling parchment would appear, and on that appeared the writing.[5]

From its beginning, the LDS Church has tried to distance itself from Joseph Smith's early magical practices and provide a legitimate explanation of its origins. For instance, official LDS artwork never depicts Smith translating with his head in his hat, staring at his seer stone. Instead, he is shown sitting at a table looking at the gold plates. Into this fertile ground of protecting church history at all costs, Mark Hofmann cultivated his forgery scheme to make money and make the LDS Church look foolish—he succeeded on both counts.

The Anthon Transcript

Hofmann's first big score was the "Anthon Transcript." Martin Harris, the financier of the first printing of the Book of Mormon in 1830, was skeptical at first of mortgaging his farm to pay for the printing without some proof of the Golden Bible. Joseph Smith would only let him heft the box that supposedly contained the "Golden Plates" from which the Book of Mormon was to be translated, but this wasn't enough to satisfy the wealthy farmer; he wanted confirmation. So, Joseph supposedly copied characters from the gold plates and Harris took them to New York City to have the scholars of the day validate the characters. The characters were not of any known language, Smith explained to Harris, but an unknown language called "Reformed Egyptian."

The Anthon Transcript in the Community of Christ Archives, Independence, Missouri.

Harris eventually found his way to Charles Anthon, a professor of Greek and Latin at Columbia College in New York. No one knows for sure what took place at this meeting but Harris came back declaring that Professor Anthon had identified the characters as Egyptian, Chaldaic, Assyriac and Arabic.[6] When Professor Anthon later heard that the Mormons were saying he had validated the characters he wrote a blistering denial: "The whole story about my having pronounced the Mormonite inscription to be 'reformed Egyptian hieroglyphics' is perfectly false."[7]

Although an early copy of the Anthon transcript has been preserved in the Community of Christ Library (formerly the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) in Independence, Missouri, the original Anthon Transcript which Martin Harris had taken on his journey was believed lost. Professor Anthon had described it as a document with vertical columns of strange characters with a circle of characters at the bottom. Amazingly, Hofmann claimed to find the long-missing document in 1980.

Hofmann's Forged Anthon Transcript

In order to make this fraud seem more credible Hofmann took an old seventeenth-century Bible and glued his document between the pages. He then went to Utah State University in Logan, Utah, to ask Jeff Simmons, head of Special Collections, how to extract a document that appeared to be glued between two pages. When the pages were pried loose, they found what appeared to be the original copy of the Anthon Transcript. On May 3, 1980, the Deseret News ran an article on Hofmann's find, along with a picture of Mark standing next to the most senior LDS Church leaders studying his recently discovered (forged) "Anthon Transcript."[8] (See photo above.)

This incredible document put Mark Hofmann on the inside track with the leadership of the LDS Church. Mark fooled every senior LDS Church leader and struck a deal to exchange the document for items from the LDS Church archives "worth about $20,000."[9]

The Joseph Smith III Blessing

At the time of Joseph Smith's death in 1844, he had not designated a successor to lead the church. There had been talk that Smith had bestowed a blessing on his eleven-year-old son, Joseph Smith III, indicating that he was to be Smith's successor. But due to the son's age, the leaders bypassed him in favor of mature leadership. This led to competing claims between Brigham Young and Sidney Rigdon. The December 15, 1844, issue of the Times and Seasons, the LDS newspaper, had an article denouncing Rigdon's claim of leadership.[10] Young soon won the favor of the majority of Saints and assumed leadership.

After the main body of Mormons left Illinois and moved west a number of those who stayed behind, who denounced polygamy and refused to follow Brigham Young's leadership, formed a new church. They called themselves the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.[11] They insisted that Joseph Smith's son should assume his rightful place as president of the church. Joseph Smith III was persuaded to assume leadership of the new church in 1860.

Thus began the long-running dispute regarding who was Joseph Smith's rightful successor, Brigham Young or Joseph Smith III, and which church was the true body of Joseph Smith's followers.

In 1891 the RLDS Church filed suit against the Church of Christ (Temple Lot), another splinter group, claiming title to the parcel of land in Independence, Missouri, that Joseph Smith had designated as the place for a future temple. During this trial the question of Smith's rightful successor was discussed. James Whitehead, Joseph Smith's personal secretary in Nauvoo, testified that "it was declared by Joseph Smith himself that the selection and ordination of his son Joseph as his successor in office had been made, and the people agreed to it, by a vote in the usual way, voting by the uplifted hand."[12] Joseph Smith III also testified that he remembered "being called in his [Joseph Smith's] office, or into a room adjoining his office, and receiving the laying on of hands, and a prophetic blessing or setting apart, whatever it may be called." He then related two more events where Joseph Smith laid hands on his head and appointed him to be his successor.[13]

Joseph Smith III

When Hofmann learned that a blessing had been given designating Joseph's son as his successor, but no copy remained, he set about to fill that void. In February of 1981 Hofmann mentioned to Michael Marquardt, a fellow researcher, that he had seen the original Smith blessing document. Authors Linda Sillitoe and Allen Roberts wrote:

The document, dated January 14, 1844, began, "Blessed of the Lord is my son Joseph, who is called the third . . ." Farther down, the key sentence read, "For he shall be my successor to the Presidency of the High Priesthood; a Seer, and a Revelator, and a Prophet, unto the Church; which appointment belongeth to him by blessing, and also by right." . . .

Looking for a buyer, Hofmann showed LDS church archivist Don Schmidt a photocopy of the blessing on February 16. Schmidt immediately recognized the importance and potential controversy but kept a poker face. "I'd have to see the original."[14]

Hofmann explained to Schmidt that "It came in a collection I purchased from the Bullock family in Coalville [Utah], from Allen Bullock to be specific."[15] When the LDS Church did not jump at the chance to buy it, Mark contacted the RLDS Church. Their historians expressed interest but needed time to make the arrangements. He promised them the document and agreed to wait until the church could make the purchase. However, he reneged on his promise and sold it to the LDS Church "for $20,000 in trade, again accepting various forms of early Mormon coins and currency."[16]

When Richard P. Howard, RLDS historian, heard that the document had been sold to the Utah church he was shocked. This created a public embarrassment when it became known that the two churches were struggling over who should own the document. Eventually the LDS Church agreed to turn over the blessing document to the RLDS Church in exchange for a copy of the rare 1833 Book of Commandments.

Hofmann's career was in full swing. "During the first few months of 1981, Mark Hofmann had made $52,000 in cash and trade on Mormon documents alone."[17] He continued to "find" more documents, many of which were sold to various collectors but not made public. In January of 1983 Mark met with Gordon B. Hinckley, a member of the LDS First Presidency, to offer him a new find, an 1825 letter from Joseph Smith to Josiah Stowell, the man who had hired Joseph to use his stone to search for buried treasures. In the letter Smith supposedly told Stowell ". . . since you cannot asertain any particulars you should not dig more untill you first discover if any valuables remain you know the treasure must be guarded by some clever spirit . . ." The letter would give support to the charge of Joseph Smith's involvement in the occult. Hinckley handed Mark a check for $15,000 for the document.[18] In March, Hofmann showed Hinckley another document, the supposed original 1829 contract between Joseph Smith, Martin Harris and E. B. Grandin, relating to the printing of the 1830 Book of Mormon. This in turn was purchased by Hinckley on behalf of the LDS Church for $25,000.[19] Unfortunately for all concerned, these documents would eventually be exposed as forgeries.

The Salamander Letter and Magic

In 1983 Mark Hofmann started telling a few friends that he had uncovered a letter, which was later known as the "Salamander Letter," supposedly written by Book of Mormon witness Martin Harris in 1830. Believing the whole translation of the Book of Mormon was steeped in mysticism and fraud, Hofmann invented a letter that played perfectly off of the claims of magic in E. D. Howe's 1834 book. When Mark read the Salamander Letter to Michael Marquardt, his reaction was that it sounded "more like a Grimms' fairy tale than a Sunday-school lesson: kettles of money guarded by spirits, seer stones, enchanted spells, magic 'spectacles,' ghostly visitations. And instead of a benevolent angel, a cantankerous and tricky 'old spirit' who transforms himself into a white salamander!"[20]

The Salamander Letter would challenge the religious framework of the beginning of Mormonism, casting it in the category of folk magic rather than divine revelation.

Hofmann, possibly worried that he was "finding" too many documents, asked his associate, Lyn Jacobs, to offer the document to the LDS Church in exchange for a gold coin minted by Brigham Young or a copy of the rare 1833 Book of Commandments. But Hinckley was leery of doing business with Jacobs, someone he had just met, and wasn't sure if Jacobs would keep the document and transaction a secret.[21]

In order to avoid directly involving the LDS Church in the procurement of this document (too much publicity), Hofmann worked a deal with a faithful LDS member, a wealthy businessman named Steve Christensen, to purchase the document for $40,000 to prevent it from falling into the "wrong hands." The idea was to allow time to lessen interest in the document and then Steve could donate it to the LDS Church.[22] Historians and researchers were hearing bits and pieces of the newly found letter and anxious to see the original. Little did the church realize that Mark was the deliberate leak on the news stories of his finds.

As soon as Jerald Tanner was able to get a typed transcript of the Salamander Letter he began researching the contents. He soon became concerned that it was a forgery; too many concepts and phrases seemed to be taken from E. D. Howe's book and a letter by Joseph Knight, a friend of Joseph Smith, recently made public in a BYU Studies article.[23]

In the March 1984 issue of his newsletter, the Salt Lake City Messenger, Jerald outlined his doubts. At the same time LDS historians were secretly researching

whether the salamander letter was consistent historically with its time and apparent circumstances. It led [Ronald] Walker, [Dean] Jessee and [Brent] Metcalfe down a road that for the most part had been taboo for Mormon scholars in the past, the study of Joseph Smith's involvement in the occult and money digging. During months of research, they found an abundance of material, ranging from court records of his trials in Bainbridge, New York, to obscure writings by early disciples. This information indicated that during the same period of time Smith claimed to have been led to a buried cache of gold plates by the angel Moroni, he was trying to make his living with claims of supernatural powers which enabled him to locate buried treasures of gold and silver with a seer stone and other superstitious occult practices.

Late in August [1984], almost eight hundred people gathered in a Salt Lake City hotel for the annual Sunstone Theological Symposium. Even before the conference formally opened, the hotel lobby was abuzz with speculation about the secret salamander letter and reports of another secret letter that purportedly linked Joseph Smith to folk magic. . . .

As the church history buffs filed into the meeting, Sandra Tanner stood in the lobby of the hotel handing out a pamphlet headlined, "The Money-Digging Letters," in which her husband expressed strong reservations about the Martin Harris letter.[24]

Jerald expanded his pamphlet questioning the authenticity of Hofmann's find in October of 1984 and reiterated his doubts in the January and June 1985 issues of the Salt Lake City Messenger. But Mark Hofmann had little to fear. Jerald Tanner's arguments, as an apostate Mormon, were not taken seriously.

Oath of a Freeman

By 1985 Hofmann had been busy creating a number of historical forgeries in addition to his documents relating to Mormonism. Many of these had been sold to private collectors, thus not making the news. In spite of all of his document sales Mark was in financial trouble. He was flying back and forth to New York City and other places, supposedly searching for antique documents, and spending money like there was no end to its source. He was also attempting to purchase a very expensive house in one of the most affluent neighborhoods in Salt Lake City. Needing a document that would make him more financially secure, in March of 1985 he claimed to find a copy of the "Oath of a Freeman."[25]

Mark Hofmann's forged "Oath of a Freeman"

Historically the Oath of a Freeman was thought to be the first document printed in America in 1647. Only one copy was known to exist, making a second copy worth at least one million dollars. When commenting on the unbelievable odds of Hofmann finding such a document by pure chance, after all the other documents he claimed to unearth, one police investigator commented:

"It was as if you had never heard of the Holy Grail. Then one Sunday you go to a garage sale and you find a little silver chalice or pewter cup and you say, 'Hey, far out!' So you pick it up. You also pick up an old Sotheby's catalog. Then on the way home, you're reading through the catalog and you find a notice to the effect that the Holy Grail was lost in whatever A.D. And basically it looks precisely like the item you just picked up. You say, 'Goddam! I just bought that this morning at the garage sale!' "[26]

But the Library of Congress was not quick to accept the authenticity of Hofmann's "Oath." They needed time to do research and tests on the document, time Mark did not have. Unable to wait for the sale of the "Oath of a Freeman," with mounting debts and creditors at his heals, Mark returned to forging Mormon documents.

The McLellin Collection

The McLellin Collection was the fraud that would finally bring Mark Hofmann down. William E. McLellin was ordained an LDS apostle in 1835 but was excommunicated in 1838, becoming an ardent critic of the church.

While retaining a belief in the Book of Mormon, McLellin felt Joseph Smith had brought false teachings into the church, such as priesthood and polygamy. Leaders in the LDS Church had long known that McLellin had letters and papers dealing with controversial issues of Joseph Smith's life. In 1879 the RLDS Church had printed a letter from McLellin to President Joseph Smith III, Joseph Smith's son, in their paper, The Saints' Herald, in which he insisted that Emma knew of her husband's adultery.[27] In 1878 Apostle Joseph F. Smith, who would later become the sixth president of the LDS Church, visited McLellin. This interview is recorded in the 1938 book, Life of Joseph F. Smith. At this meeting McLellin asserted: "Emma Smith [Joseph Smith's widow] told him [McLellin] that Joseph was both a polygamist and an adulterer, . . . He also said Joseph had given a false revelation in 1829, . . ."[28] Due to such accounts, rumor spread that his diaries and papers had been preserved and contained many incriminating documents that would embarrass the LDS Church. But no one seemed to know who owned the fabled collection. Until now.

A month after Hofmann reported finding the "Oath of a Freeman," word on the street was that the McLellin Collection had been located. In order for Mark Hofmann to get top dollar for the collection he had to say it included a laundry list of items. He told one friend it contained part of Joseph Smith's papyri,[29] others were informed that the McLellin Collection contained "Joseph Smith's revelations and letters—actually a good orange crate full of letters and documents—including six little diaries handwritten by McLellin from 1831 to 1836, one for each year."[30] However, Hofmann was unable to forge enough documents prior to the deadline for the sale. The price tag was set at $185,000 and he was simultaneously working several different people, as well as the LDS Church, in the scam.

With President Hinckley out of the country at the time, Hofmann had to look elsewhere for a buyer. He turned to his friend Steve Christensen, the purchaser of the Salamander Letter, and told him he needed $185,000 to acquire the McLellin Collection. Steve contacted Elder Hugh Pinnock, a senior member of the Quorum of Seventy (an LDS General Authority, just under the position of Apostle), who in turn, on June 28, 1985, made a phone call to First Interstate Bank and arranged the loan. Mark simply had to go pick up the check.[31] Evidently, such transactions had been done before. During the police investigation of the murders, Harvey Tanner, head loan officer at First Interstate Bank, told detectives that he "had been reassured that Hofmann was good for the money, the church was behind it, not to worry." He went on to state that "we had done business with Pinnock before, obtaining money for the church without the church being involved."[32]

Hofmann had also borrowed money from several other Mormons with promises of providing the McLellin Collection. Playing both ends against the middle, time was running out. Hofmann was under a great deal of pressure to meet his various obligations. Steve Christensen had entered the picture again as Mark was delinquent on his $185,000 loan arranged by Hugh Pinnock. "The Brethren" had elicited Steve's help to complete the McLellin transaction through a wealthy LDS Mission President in Nova Scotia, Canada.[33]

But Hofmann was becoming more and more desperate in the pressure cooker situation that he had created. Sensing the need to divert attention away from his mounting debts and his inability to produce the fictitious documents, Hofmann began to formulate a devious plan. If he could get Christensen out of the picture then he would not only be relieved of some immediate financial pressure but the ensuing drama of Christensen's death could refocus attention and buy him time to produce more documents.

The Bombings

On Tuesday October 15, 1985, two separate bombs took the lives of Steve Christensen and Kathy Sheets. The bomb set for Steve Christensen, left at his office door in downtown Salt Lake City, was especially brutal, being filled with nails meant to shred its victim. Gary Sheets was the intended target for bomb number two; however, his wife, Kathy, found the package containing the bomb outside their home and became the victim of its deadly power. Mark Hofmann later commented: "At the time I made that bomb my thoughts were that it didn't matter if it was Mr. Sheets, a child, a dog."[34]

No one is sure who was the intended victim of bomb number three. Mark Hofmann was in downtown Salt Lake City in the process of delivering the bomb when it went off prematurely in his parked car. Severely injured, but not killed, Mark was initially thought to be another innocent victim; however, the investigation quickly shifted to him as the suspected bomber.

Mark Hofmann's car after a bomb exploded
on October 16, 1985.

Photo by Tom Smart/Deseret News

Lying for the Lord

Shortly after the first bomb went off, Hofmann called Hugh Pinnock to inform him of Christensen's death and to assure Pinnock that he was still willing to go through with the McLellin deal and was arranging to pay off the bank loan. After the second bomb went off, Mark calmly met with LDS Apostle Dallin Oaks in his church office and informed him that the bombings must relate to failed business dealings of Christensen and Sheets and had no connection to Mark's documents. Later Pinnock and Oaks met with Gordon B. Hinckley to discuss how to proceed with the McLellin transaction.[35] The day after the explosion that injured Mark Hofmann, Elder Pinnock was interviewed about the crimes:

Police Detective Don Bell interviewed him at 1:12 in the afternoon on October 17, the day after the bomb exploded in Hofmann's car.

"Elder Pinnock, this is the deal," Bell began, notebook in hand. "This is a homicide investigation. Do you know Mr. Hofmann?"

Pinnock paused and reflected a moment. "No, I don't believe I do."[36]

When local news station KSL-TV, owned by the LDS Church, accurately reported that the LDS Church was involved in arranging document deals and illegal loans, the church leaders demanded a retraction. Reporter Jack Ford complained to his boss:

"The Church is upset because we [KSL-TV] said they helped arrange a loan. Well, they did! They say it was an individual, not the Church, but that's baloney. It may have been an individual who placed the call, but he was a Church official, sitting in his Church office, on Church time, using a Church phone, and he did it for the . . . benefit of the Church. Nobody else wanted that McLellin Collection except the Church. And the Nova Scotia mission president doesn't collect documents. He was just a big-bucks guy who said 'If you need help, I'll help you out.' If the Church says they weren't helping arrange any buyers for anything, how do you explain the fact that the Church volunteered to get an armored car to go down to Texas and pick the Collection up?"[37]

When LDS Apostle Gordon B. Hinckley was interviewed by County Prosecuting Attorneys Bob Stott and David Biggs about his multiple dealings with Mark Hofmann, he tried to hide his association with Mark:

Stott and Biggs shifted uneasily in their chairs. With all the time in between to recollect those meetings, he still couldn't remember a thing.

"Was he ever in your office?" Stott asked.

"Probably," said Hinckley.

"Probably!" thought Biggs. Now, he was even forgetting what he had admitted in the press conference. . . .

Surely he remembered the morning, only days before the bombings, when Hofmann came to tell him the Kinderhook plates "might be available for the right price"? He did remember the Kinderhook plates?

"I don't know a whole lot about them," Hinckley said dryly.

Biggs thought, This is Hinckley. He's telling us he doesn't know a whole lot about the Kinderhook plates. My God, even I have learned a little about them in this investigation. He has to know what they're about. . . .

Stott and Biggs pressed. Surely he knew that Steve Christensen had been called by Church officials at all hours of the night to go out and find Hofmann and get him to repay the First Interstate loan?

Hinckley shrugged his shoulders. . . . Hinckley could recall nothing. . . .

After another hour of evasions, memory lapses, and sermonettes, Biggs lost his patience. "President Hinckley. This has been in the news—people have died—isn't there any way we can get some information about your meetings with Hofmann?"[38]

The interview then focused on the upcoming preliminary hearing.

When Bob Stott finally worked up the courage to talk about Hinckley's testimony at the upcoming preliminary hearing, [LDS attorney] Wilford Kirton jumped in.

"President Hinckley doesn't wish to testify at the hearing. We think it would be in everyone's best interests to not have him testify."

Someone suggested that he would have to testify at trial.

"You don't understand," said Kirton imperiously. "President Hinckley does not wish to testify at the hearing, at the trial, at anything."[39]

Hinckley then explained to Stott:

"This isn't that significant, as it relates to Church matters," he said softly. "It's the Church that matters. You have to consider the Church first. I don't wish to testify." . . .

"I think it would be in the best interests of the Church," he added in the same mellow voice, "if you simply dismissed the charge."

Dismiss the charge? Biggs was aghast. It took them a moment to realize that he meant only that Stott should dismiss the charge on the Stowell letter, which would let Hinckley off the hook as far as testifying at the preliminary hearing. . . .

But Bob Stott wasn't ready to do that. "We are not going to drop the charge," he said after he regained his composure. But he did have a compromise suggestion. "If we can get the defense to stipulate as to your testimony, we won't have to call you."[40]

When comparing the notes of the investigators of Hofmann's crimes, there is no doubt that Gordon B. Hinckley was lying to them.

In Utah You Don't Embarrass the Mormon Church

In February of 1986 Mark Hofmann was arrested. The case against Hofmann was overwhelming. In addition to the two murders, he had forged dozens of documents and defrauded multiple people, including the LDS Church, of possibly two million dollars.[41] In January of 1987, he pled guilty to second-degree murder and theft-by-deception to avoid the death penalty. Everyone had been expecting a trial where he would be convicted of First Degree Murder and receive the death penalty for his despicable murders; yet he only received a life sentence, to be served at the Utah State Prison. The question on the streets of Salt Lake City was "Why?"

It was clear to everyone by now that Bob Stott [prosecuting attorney] was determined to avoid a trial no matter what. Said one policeman when the news of the bargain spread though the department like the smell of a gas leak, "Even if we had a confession, Stott would have given Yengich [Hofmann's attorney] anything he wanted.

Later, when a Los Angeles Times reporter flew to Salt Lake City to cover the breaking plea-bargain story, he told Dawn Tracy [Salt Lake Tribune reporter] that the most surprising aspect of the entire case was the attitude of the prosecution. "The typical prosecutor," the reporter said, "goes out and gets the bad guys. He goes out and stirs things up. Here, they're so nice and cooperative. What a nice plea bargain. In any other state, you'd see this thing go on trial, because that's how prosecutors' reputations are made. Going to trial and getting bad guys, big splashes, lots of exposure. Here you have a nice plea bargain."

"Hey," said Tracy, "You don't rise in this state embarrassing the Mormon Church or making them look bad."[42]

The handling of the Mark Hofmann case is an example of Mormonism's attitude toward truth: "faith before facts!"[43]

LDS Church Already Had the McLellin Diaries

In the aftermath of all the negative publicity and books exploring the Hofmann case and early LDS history, the LDS Church announced that its historians had "embarked on a massive study of the books and news articles in an attempt to assemble a master list of errors, misquotes and exaggerations. 'Our response to all the allegations made against the church will be made public in about 60 days,' [Richard P.] Lindsay said."[44] However, it would be another four years before Richard Turley's book, Victims: The LDS Church and the Mark Hofmann Case, would appear. While the book was seen as mainly a futile effort in damage control, there was one item of interest buried in the middle of the book. On page 248 of Turley's work he states that "March 1986 brought a startling discovery," and goes on to explain that at that time church officials became aware that they already had an important part of the McLellin collection. The McLellin journals for 1831 through 1836 had been gathering dust in the LDS First Presidency's vault. The church, in fact, had the documents since 1908, but not being catalogued, they had been pushed aside and forgotten.[45]

These journals were discovered before Hofmann's preliminary hearing and yet this information was not passed on to the investigators. Thus the church suppressed a key item that would have gone to proving that Mark did not have the McLellin collection, which would have helped to establish motive for the murders. Investigators certainly would have subpoenaed the McLellin journals if they had any idea that the church had them. Evidently the church leaders deliberately kept Hugh Pinnock in the dark about the journals so that when he was questioned during the preliminary hearing he could truthfully say, as far as he knew, the church did not have any part of the McLellin papers.[46] In order to keep Gordon B. Hinckley off the witness stand during the 1986 preliminary hearing, the church submitted a statement that Hinckley "has never seen nor possessed nor has any knowledge of the whereabouts of a document or a group of documents known as the McLellin Collection."[47] However, Hinckley, Oaks, Turley, Dean Larsen, Dean Jessee, Glenn Rowe and staff in the LDS Historical Department, all knew the church had the McLellin papers in the vault.[48]

Writer Robert Lindsey observed: "Whatever else they had done, Hofmann's documents had stimulated a burst of historical inquiry regarding Joseph Smith's youthful enthusiasm for magic and the occult and it did not wither after his conviction . . . and it was unlikely that those in the Church Administration Building would ever be able to contain fully the fires of intellectual curiosity that Hofmann had helped fan."[49] Today Joseph Smith's involvement with the occult is generally conceded, even by LDS historians. Over the past twenty-five years numerous historical studies have been published, leaving Smith's occult involvement an unquestioned part of the story.[50]

Will He Ever Be Paroled?

Two months after thirty-three year old Mark Hofmann entered Utah State Prison two inmates reported to guards that Hofmann was planning on having several members of the Board of Pardons murdered. It was claimed that he was offering to pay at least $10,000 for the job. At first Hofmann insisted that the prisoners had invented the story to curry favor at the prison. However, a letter in code from Mark to his wife, Dori, was intercepted. Did this contain instructions for more murders? Investigator Michael George, of the Salt Lake County Attorney's Office, confronted Hofmann with the letter and demanded an explanation:

Yes, he finally conceded, he might have discussed with other inmates the possibility of killing members of the Board of Pardons. Then he admitted that he had done so, but quickly added it hadn't been his idea: Other inmates had proposed the idea to him.[51]

Without sufficient evidence to prove Mark had actively tried to hire someone to kill members of the Board of Pardons, no additional charges were made. With that, however, all hope of receiving a parole vanished like smoke in the wind.

Hofmann and the Mountain Meadows Massacre

Another Hofmann document has come to light this year. An article in the Deseret News for September 7, 2010, announced "For the past 27 years, historians have identified William Edwards as a participant in the 1857 Mountain Meadows Massacre. But forensic document examiners now say the 1924 affidavit that implicated Edwards is a forgery linked to convicted bomber Mark Hofmann."[52] The affidavit has been quoted in three books dealing with the massacre: Massacre at Mountain Meadows by Ronald W. Walker, Richard E. Turley, Jr., and Glen M. Leonard; Blood of the Prophets by Will Bagley; and Innocent Blood: Essential Narratives of the Mountain Meadows Massacre by David L. Bigler and Will Bagley.

Can Documents be Trusted?

Hofmann's documents have led some people to dismiss any negative references relating to early Mormonism as possible forgeries. However, those writing on LDS history today are careful to reference documents with a known history. Most early letters and diaries relating to Mormonism have been acquired from known family members or have always been in the possession of a well-established institution. Usually a number of people have been aware of the documents for years. For instance, David Whitmer, Martin Harris, the Smith's neighbors, etc., made statements that were published during their lifetime. On the other hand, Mark Hofmann could not disclose who the previous owner had been or where the document had been stored. Since forensic document examiners are better prepared to test documents for authenticity today than they were twenty-five years ago, it would be very hard for another Hofmann-type forgery to succeed.

Endnotes

[1] Linda Sillitoe and Allen Roberts, Salamander: the Story of the Mormon Forgery Murders (Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 1988), p. 361.

[2] E. D. Howe, Mormonism Unvailed (Painesville, Ohio, 1834), pp. 238-239.

[3] Howe, Mormoism Unvailed, p. 239.

[4] "Mormonism," New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge (New York, 1883), vol. 2, p. 1576, as quoted in Joseph Smith and Money Digging, Jerald and Sandra Tanner (Salt lake City: Utah Lighthouse Ministry, 1970), p. 21.

[5] David Whitmer, An Address To All Believers In Christ (Richmond, Missouri, 1887), p. 12.

[6] Joseph Smith, History of the Church (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1976), vol. 1, p. 20.

[7] Letter by Charles Anthon, Feb. 17, 1834, as quoted in Mormonism Unvailed, pp. 270-272.

[8] "Utahn Finds 1828 Writing by Prophet," Church News, Deseret News (May 3, 1980): p. 3.

[9] Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith, The Mormon Murders (New York: St. Martins Press, 2005), p. 110.

[10] Amasa Lyman, "The Saints Scattered Abroad," Times and Seasons, vol. 5, pp. 740-742.

[11] Sometimes referred to as the RLDS Church, it is now known as the Community of Christ.

[12] The Temple Lot Case—"United States Circuit Court (8th Circuit) . . . The Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, complainant, vs. the Church of Christ at Independence, Missouri . . . Complainant's abstract of pleading and evidence" (Lamoni, Iowa, 1893), p. 37, Utah Lighthouse Ministry photocopy.

[13] Ibid., pp. 40-41.

[14] Sillitoe and Roberts, Salamander, p. 247.

[15] Ibid., p. 248.

[16] Ibid., p. 249.

[17] Ibid., p. 251.

[18] Ibid., pp. 269-270.

[19] Ibid., pp. 270-271.

[20] Naifeh and Smith, Mormon Murders, p. 154.

[21] Ibid., p. 159.

[22] Ibid., p. 169.

[23] Dean Jessee, "Joseph Knight's Recollection of Early Mormon History," BYU Studies (Autumn 1976): pp. 29-39.

[24] Robert Lindsey, A Gathering of Saints: A True Story of Money, Murder and Deceit (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1988), p. 135.

[25] Naifeh and Smith, Mormon Murders, pp. 196-199.

[26] Ibid., p. 198.

[27] Richard L. Bushman, Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2005), p. 624.

[28] Joseph Fielding Smith, Life of Joseph F. Smith (Salt Lake City: Deseret News Press, 1938), pp. 238-240.

[29] Sillitoe and Roberts, Salamander, pp. 340-341.

[30] Ibid., p. 342.

[31] Naifeh and Smith, Mormon Murders, pp. 225-228.

[32] Sillitoe and Roberts, Salamander, p. 43.

[33] Naifeh and Smith, Mormon Murders, p. 260.

[34] Sillitoe and Roberts, Salamander, p. 513.

[35] Naifeh and Smith, Mormon Murders, pp. 286-289.

[36] Ibid., pp. 300-301.

Was Jesus the literal offspring of God or not according to the LDS Church?

2010-10-11T09:25:00.000-05:00

Home Evening Lesson 27...“Whom Say Ye That I Am?”
This home evening is to help you and your children understand that Jesus is God’s Only Begotten Son and to seek this knowledge through prayer. In What Way is Jesus God’s Only Son?

Read or tell the following story. JENNY’S QUESTION

The Markham family had been to Sunday School and was driving home. Brother Markham asked each of his four children what they had learned that day. Each of the children related a story of a teaching that he had learned. When Jenny was asked what she had learned, she replied, “Daddy, I’m confused. The teacher talked about Jesus’ being God’s only son. I thought all of us were God’s children.

Ask, Have you ever wondered about this question? How would you answer Jenny? Discuss this with the family, letting each have a chance to express himself. Now read to the family how a modern prophet answered Jenny’s question.

A MODERN PROPHET’S ANSWER …I want the little folks to hear what I am going to tell you. I am going to tell you a
simple truth, yet it is one of the greatest truths and one of the most simple facts ever revealed to the children of men.

You all know that your fathers are indeed your fathers and that your mothers are indeed your mothers—you all know that don’t you? You cannot deny it. Now, we are told in scriptures that Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God in the flesh. Well, now for the benefit of the older ones, how are children begotten? I answer just as Jesus Christ was begotten of his father. The difference between Jesus Christ and other men is this: Our fathers in the flesh are mortal men, who are subject unto death: but the Father of Jesus Christ in the flesh is the God of Heaven. Therefore Jesus, as he declared, received the power of life from his Father and was never subject unto death but had life in himself as his father had life in himself. Because of this power he overcame death and the grave and became master of the resurrection and the means of salvation to us all.

We must come down to the simple fact that God Almighty was the Father of His Son Jesus Christ. Mary, the virgin girl, who had never known mortal man, was his mother. God by her begot his son Jesus Christ, and he was born into the world with power and intelligence like that of His Father….Now, my little friends, I will repeat again in words as simple as I can, and you talk to your parents about it, that God, the Eternal Father, is literally the father of Jesus Christ. (Joseph F. Smith, Box Elder Stake Conference Dec. 20, 1914 as quoted in Brigham City Box Elder News, 28 Jan. 1915, pp.1-2.)

An Illustration and Discussion to Help
Further Answer Jenny’s Question:

At this point, discuss in your own words how Jesus was the only begotten Son of God. You might do this by using the following illustration on a chalkboard or piece of paper. Drawing from page 126

All boys and girls have a mother and father on earth. Your mother and father, of course, are
mother and I. Jesus is the only person ever born on this earth that is different. Jesus had a mother on earth. What was her name? (Mary.) But who was his real father? (Heavenly Father.) So you see, Jesus is the only person who had our Heavenly Father as the father of his body.

Family Home Evening
Published by the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints © 1972 Corporation of the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Page 125-126

Ever Wondered Why You Can't Remember the 'Pre-existences'?

2010-09-15T08:12:00.001-05:00

by Rocky Hulse

Mormonism teaches that we all lived in a pre-existent life before we were born on this earth. Is this doctrine taught in the Bible? NO! So this whole concept is outside the teachings of Christianity – it is in fact, anti-Christian!

For those who have been to our seminar, find the “Mormon Plan of Eternal Progression” chart that we handed out and review the left hand side. In the top left corner the chart begins with a globe labeled “Intelligences-Eternal Matter.” Mormon doctrine believes that everyone who ever lived, or will ever live on this earth, always existed as ‘pure intelligence’.

On the chart, the globe directly below “Intelligences-Eternal Matter” is labeled “Spirit World” and in between the two globes is inserted the statement: “Spirit Children born of God & Wife.” The Mormon belief is that God has celestial sexual relations with his wife(s) and when she (they) become celestially pregnant, through a cosmic phenomena, some of the eternally existing ‘pure intelligence’ becomes the spirit that is carried by the celestial wife of God, and nine months later is born as an infant spirit into the “Spirit World.”

If we lived before, as the Mormon doctrine claims, why don’t we remember it? Well, the Mormon Church has a rather bizarre explanation as to why we cannot remember our pre-existence. Mormon Apostle Orson Pratt provided this explanation from a speech recorded in the “Journal of Discourses” and from his book “The Seer.”

(1) “A great many people have supposed that the spirit which exists in the tabernacle [human body], for instance, of an infant, is of the same size as the infant tabernacle [human body] when it enters therein; No one will dispute that it is of the same size when it is enclosed therein; but how large was the spirit before it entered the tabernacle? Was it a full grown male or female spirit, or was it a little infant spirit in its pre-existent state? We have no account that I know of, in any revelation which God has given, of any infant spirit coming from the eternal worlds to take infant bodies; but we have an opposite account in the revelations which God has given; for if we turn to the Book of Ether [Book of Mormon] we shall find that the Lord Jesus, who was one of these spirits, and the first-born of the whole family, was a personage like unto a man, without flesh, blood or bones, but a full-grown spirit, thousands of years before he came to take his infant tabernacle…When all these spirits were sent forth from the eternal worlds, they were, no doubt, not infants; but when they entered the infant tabernacle, they were under the necessity, the same as our Lord and Savior, of being compressed, or diminished in size so that their spirits could be enclosed in infant tabernacles. If their bodies die in infancy, do their spirits remain infants in stature between death and the resurrection of the body? I think not.” (Journal of Discourses, Vol 16, pp 333-335)(brackets mine)

So, we have seen thus far that Mormonism believes we all existed in the pre-existent ‘Spirit World’ as adult sized spirits. When we were born into this world, we had to be compressed to fit into our infant bodies. Now, let’s see Mormon Apostle Orson Pratt’s explanation as to why we can’t remember our pre-mortal state:

(2) “When Jesus was born into our world, his previous knowledge was taken from Him: this was occasioned by His spiritual body being compressed into a smaller volume than it originally occupied. In His previous existence, His spirit, as the Scriptures testify, [Mormon scriptures] was of the size and form of man; when this spirit was compressed, so as to be wholly enclosed in an infant tabernacle, it had a tendency to suspend the memory; and the wisdom and knowledge, formerly enjoyed, were forgotten. …So it is with man. When he enters a body of flesh, his spirit is so compressed and contracted in infancy that he forgets his former existence, and has to commence, as Jesus did, at the lowest principles of knowledge, and ascend by degrees from one principle of intelligence to another. Thus he regains his former knowledge; and by showing himself approved through every degree of intelligence, he is counted worthy to receive more and more, until he is perfected and glorified in truth, and made like his elder brother, possessing all things. (The Seer, p. 21)(brackets mine)

Mormon Apostle Orson Pratt, who would have been the fourth Prophet of the Church had he lived long enough, says the reason we cannot remember the ‘Pre-existence’ is because our adult sized spirits could not fit into our infant bodies at birth and when our adult spirits were compressed to infant size, we forgot: “When he enters a body of flesh, his spirit is so compressed and contracted in infancy that he forgets his former existence..”

Folks, there is no Biblical support for ‘Pre-existence’, it is anti-Christian. It is purely a Mormon unique doctrine; just one of many. There is no fundamental or historical Christian support for this doctrine. All Christian doctrines come from the Bible, God’s inerrant word. To advocate that humans do not recall their ‘pre-existent state’ because their adult sized spirit had to be compressed to fit into an infant body, and that compression caused memory loss, is simply ludicrous!

I Love Jesus; How Can You Say I Am Not Christian?

2010-09-05T23:32:00.001-05:00

by Staci Lee

One of the most difficult things about witnessing to a Mormon is how they want to show that we are in agreement. In fact, it's hard to even know where to begin showing them that we are not agreeing. We are conversing with the same terminology after all, right? We use the same words like God, Jesus, Holy Spirit, repentance, scripture, faith and heaven. We both believe that Jesus was born in the Jerusalem area, that He lived a perfect life and that He died on the cross and rose three days later. We both claim to be Christian. But our ‘agreement’ is effectively keeping us from a meaningful discussion, and the Mormon from true salvation.

You see, each of the words listed above (and many others) have been redefined in Mormonism. According to Mormonism, God is not the God, but a god; god's name is Elohim and we are his literal spirit children by one of his many goddess wives. Jesus is not God but the eldest of Elohim's children; he's our and Satan's spirit-brother. Repentance is the process of turning from each specific sin, to never repeat it again, and making restitution when possible. Scripture includes the books written by Joseph Smith and latter-day prophets.

I was Mormon, so I when I finally read the Bible without trying to find my LDS beliefs in it, it got a lot easier to understand... and told a different story than I expected. The Bible only allows for one God- YHWH - who is eternally self-existent in three 'persons', one of which is the virgin-born Hebrew Yeshua (YHWH becomes Salvation). Repentance is not abandonment of sin, but the change of heart/mind that accompanies realizing that Jesus is God come to earth to take the punishment we deserve and believing on Him as Savior. Heaven is not layered, with divisions according to the righteousness we displayed in our 'mortal probation', but it is where God is, which is why it is Paradise.

The LDS will chalk these differences in meaning up to a different interpretation of scripture. They believe that Christians are the ones who do not understand; that when Joseph Smith restored true Christianity to the earth, he corrected what had been ruined and/or misunderstood. LDS will also try to point to specific Bible verses they've been taught, to justify their beliefs. But the differences cannot be explained away by simple misinterpretation; and Smith's 'restoration' is completely contrary to the most fundamental truths of the Bible. Mormons do not even know that they are taught a system of Biblical eisegesis which injects LDS beliefs into the Bible, instead of searching the Bible to see what it teaches.

And there's more.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints gives people a false Jesus not just by redefining Him, but by allowing Mormons to simply incorporate Christ into their lives. In Mormonism (as perhaps in many religions), a person can begin to do what they think is more Christ-like -- donating money to charity, visiting the sick, praying, etc. -- without ever having to personally meet and go up against God one-on-one.

Christianity is not this way. There is no making Jesus a part of the life you already have. When I first was saved, I tried to do that. I wanted my worldly life and God's grace, too. But God was emphatic. He absolutely broke me down until all there was left to do - and I knew it - was to say, "I surrender. You are God." I was not good; I finally understood that. He alone is good; and He expected me to die to myself, to kill my fleshly desires, so that I could have the ONE THING that I was really looking for - Him.

Mormonism gives people the right words to hold, the good ideals to shoot for. What it does not and cannot give its people is GOD Almighty. Believing God is my father and Jesus is my brother makes salvation/atonement not as significant an issue. The belief that I can become a god(dess) keeps me from prostrating myself before the One unimaginably Worthy and Holy God that there ever is and ever will be, in fear, admiration, and utter awe and worthlessness. My salvation came when I finally saw God for who He truly is, and myself for who I truly am – this is the truth that has set me free. And I had to fully reject my Mormon thinking to do come to that place.

I hope that you can see why I believe a Mormon who believes the LDS doctrine is not a Christian. I have no doubts that there are some LDS who, in their hearts, worship only One God, and will be saved. But it is in spite of their religion that they do this, not because of it. I've been told by some Mormons that I am trying to create my own super-exclusive definition of the word "Christian" - but I am only trying to put the right words to my understanding of the term as I find it in the Bible. A family-oriented, hard-working, good-as-can-be, church-attendee is not, by biblical definition, a Christian. A person who knows they deserve to die because of their sin against YHWH, who has turned to the Jesus of the Bible as the only solution and believes He alone is the way to be reconciled with God... is.

A few pertinent verses: Luke 18:19; Mark 10:18; Romans 3:9-13,23, 5:8, 6:23; John 1:12-13, 3:15-17, 5:24,28, 11:25,26,27, 12:24-25, 14:16; Galatians 2:16, 3:10-14; Colossians 1:15-17, 2:4-20; Hebrews 10:10-12; 1 John 1:1,5,8-10, 2:1-2, 5:10-13; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4; Ephesians 2:8-9.

Mormonism’s “Tree of Life”

2010-08-18T17:59:00.000-05:00

by Rocky Hulse

August 7th, 2010

In the new August 2010 edition of the Mormon Church monthly magazine, “Ensign,” on page 21 is an article titled “Finding Ourselves in Lehi’s Dream.” Boyd K. Packer who is the current “President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles,” which makes him next in line to become the President/Prophet of the Mormon Church, writes the article.
“Lehi’s Dream” in the article is in reference to a Book of Mormon story. The Book of Mormon is purported, by the Mormon Church, to be a translation of ancient American history that was recorded on plates of gold, written in “Reformed Egyptian” (a language that has never been found), and delivered to Joseph Smith by an angel named Moroni (pronounced ma-roan-eye), who was supposed to be the last record keeper of the ancient plates which he sealed and buried around the year 400 AD.
The Book of Mormon reports on two groups of people who left the Middle East and traveled to the Americas by boat. Ninety percent of the book is about the descendants of Lehi (pronounced Lee-high), who are supposed to have left Jerusalem around the year 600 B.C. Of Lehi’s many sons, Nephi (pronounced Nee-fie) and Laman (pronounced Lay-mun) become the leaders of the two main peoples of the book, the Nephites and Lamanites, respectively. The Nephites (white skinned) are the good guys, and the Lamanites (dark skinned ancestors of the American Indians) are the bad guys.
The Book of Mormon is composed of 15 books. The first book of the Book of Mormon is the book of 1st Nephi. In Chapter 8 of 1st Nephi, Lehi has a dream, which he calls a vision, about the “Tree of Life.” Mormon Apostle Packer uses Lehi’s dream as a basis for his article. Quoting Mormon Apostle Packer on pg 25 “As we think of you young Latter-day Saints and think of the Book of Mormon and think of the dream or vision that Lehi had, we see that there are prophecies in there that can be specifically applied to your life. Read it again, beginning with 1 Nephi 8, and read on to the counsel that is given. The book of Mormon talks about life after death: what happens to the spirit…and what happens in the spirit world…. All of the things that you need to know are there. Read it and make it a part of your life. Then the criticism or mocking of the world, mocking those in the Church, will be of no concern to you as it is no concern to us (see 1 Nephi 8:33). We just move forward doing the things that we are called to do and know that the Lord is guiding us.”

Lehi’s Dream: Real, or Smith Family History?

On page 22 of the August Ensign, Apostle Packer lists five things that Lehi saw in his dream. In the book Joseph Smith’s Plagiarism of the Bible in the Book of Mormon, by Jerald and Sandra Tanner, a two part book, I found an interesting article in Part Two: Covering Up The Black Hole In The Book of Mormon. The sub-article title is: “Lehi’s Dream Of The Tree Of Life.”
The first two paragraphs of Jerald and Sandra’s article reads as follows:
“Both Joseph Smith’s father and Nephi’s father (in the Book of Mormon) are reported to have had many dreams. Lucy Smith, Joseph Smith’s mother, tells several of her husband’s dreams in her book (Lucy Smith, Biographical Sketches, 1853). These visions were no doubt recounted on many occasions among the family.
One of the dreams of Joseph Smith’s father is recorded in Lucy Smith’s book. According to Lucy Smith, Joseph Smith, Sr., had this dream sixteen years before young Joseph got the plates: ‘In 1811, we moved…to the town of Lebanon, New Hampshire. Soon after arriving here, my husband received another very singular vision, which I will relate…’ (Biographical Sketches, pp. 58-59). Upon reading this dream one is struck by the similarity between it and Lehi’s dream in the Book of Mormon. Lehi’s dream is recorded in chapter 8 of 1 Nephi. His son, Nephi, has the same dream but expounds it in more detail in chapter 11” (Joseph Smith’s Plagiarism of the Bible in the Book of Mormon, pg 161).
The Tanner’s then list 27 parallels between the dreams of Joseph Smith Sr., and Lehi in the Book of Mormon. Let’s compare the five things “Lehi saw,” listed by Apostle Packer to the parallels of Joseph Smith, Sr., as listed by the Tanners on pages 162 and 163 of Joseph Smith’s Plagiarism of the Bible in the Book of Mormon:
The five things Lehi saw as listed by Apostle Packer on pg 22 of the August 2010 Ensign:

A great and spacious building
A path following a river
A mist of darkness
An iron rod that led through the mist of darkness
The tree of life “whose fruit was desirable to make one happy”

Four of the five things “Lehi saw” are directly from the dream of Joseph Smith, Sr., (only the iron rod is a rope in Joseph Sr’s dream) plus two other items that Apostle Packer mentions as quoted above from page 25 of the article: criticism, mocking or scorning, and the ignoring (of no concern to us) of that criticism:
6 of 7 parallels from Joseph Smith, Sr., to Lehi’s dream of the Book of Mormon:

A spacious building:

And I also cast my eyes round about, and beheld on the other side of the river of water, a great and spacious building;…(1 Nephi 8:26)
“I beheld a spacious building standing opposite the valley which we were in,…(Smith, p. 59)

A path following a river:

And I also beheld a, straight and narrow path,…(1 Nephi 8:20)
“Traveling a short distance further, I came to a narrow path. This path I entered,… (Smith, p. 58)

A mist of darkness:

This item is not listed in the Joseph Smith, Sr., dream

An iron rod that led through the mist of darkness:

And I beheld a rod of iron, and it extended along the bank of the river…(1 Nephi 8:19)
“but as far as my eyes could extend I could see a rope, running along the bank of it,… (Smith, p. 58)

The tree of life “whose fruit was desirable to make one happy”:

And as I partook of the fruit thereof it filled my soul with exceeding great joy,… (1 Nephi 8:12)
We were exceedingly happy, insomuch that our joy could not easily be expressed.” (Smith, pp. 58-59)
Two other items mentioned by Mormon Apostle Packer in his article that parallel the dream of Joseph Smith, Sr.:

Criticism, scorn:

they did point the finger of scorn at me and those that were partaking of the fruit also;…(1 Nephi 8:33)
“When these people observed us…under the tree, they pointed the finger of scorn at us…” (Smith, p. 59)

Ignoring those who criticize or scorn:

but we heeded them not. (1 Nephi 8:33)
“But their contumely we utterly disregarded.” (Smith, p. 59)
I have compared 7 items of reference from Apostle Packer’s article about Lehi’s Dream; 6 of those 7 items can be paralleled to the dream of Joseph Smith, Sr., that was reported to have taken place 16 years before young Joseph received the “Golden Plates.” The Tanner’s list 27 parallels between the two dreams.
Lehi’s Dream in the Book of Mormon is obviously false as there is no proof to support that the Book of Mormon is a history of the ancient inhabitants of the American Continents; however, are these parallels just a coincidence? I’m not a mathematical statistician, but I’m sure the statistical probability that all these parallels are mere coincidence is near infinity!

Is the “Tree of Life” Symbolic of “Mother God?”

Since there is no proof that the Book of Mormon is authentic, rather, all indications are that it was the product of Joseph Smith’s imagination, written in the 1820’s and published in 1830, Mormons jump on anything that they think might advance their case for authenticity. In the July 19, 2010 edition of Mormon Times, Michael R. Ash wrote an article titled “The tree of life and the Book of Mormon.”
Trying to validate the Book of Mormon as an ancient text, Michael Ash provides the following quote in his article: “The Book of Mormon brought the tree of life to our attention long before modern scholarship revealed how common the tree was in ancient history. The symbol of that tree pervades the art and literature of every Mediterranean culture from centuries before the time of Lehi until well after the time of Moroni. This fact, and the fact that Lehi and Nephi portrayed the spiritual meaning of that symbol much the same way other ancient cultures portrayed it, demonstrates that the Book of Mormon is an ancient text, not an invention of the 19th-century social milieu.”
No, Mr. Ash, the parallels between ancient pagan cultures and the Book of Mormon merely show that they both originate from the same source. Mr. Ash’s article continues with him introducing the pagan female goddess of fertility, Asherah:
“For another example of such ancient Old World parallels, I turn to the research of Daniel Peterson, a regular speaker at the annual FAIR Apologetics Conference, an Islamic scholar and the founder of the Mormon Scholars Testify website.
Despite most people’s perception of the ancient Israelites, modern scholars recognize that the Israelites were not typically monotheistic (they didn’t believe in a single God). For many years under the reign of the judges, many Israelites worshipped a female virgin deity – a consort to God – by the name of Asherah. Some biblical scholars believe that Jeremiah – a contemporary prophet of Lehi – mocked and denounced Asherah worship.”
Mr. Ash’s attempt at convincing his readers that the Israelites were not monotheistic is to recognize their pagan worship for which God severely punished them, above the reality of the teachings in the Old Testament. Then Mr. Ash, working off of Mr. Peterson’s research, tries to make his readers believe that Asherah was worshiped under the reign of the judges, as acceptable to God. This is simply ridiculous! Jeremiah in fact condemned the worship of pagan gods: “17. Seest thou not what they do in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? 18. The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger” (Jeremiah 7).
The “Illustrated Dictionary & Concordance of the Bible” on page 126 defines Asherah as follows: “One of the principle female goddesses of the Canaanite pantheon, familiar equally from Canaanite mythology and from biblical references….Most often she is known as the Lady of the Sea. As such she is consort of the chief god El and mother of the gods….As goddess of fertility, Asherah takes the form of a tree, symbolizing the Tree of Life…Her sacred emblem in this role is a tree or a wooden post which is a stylized form of the Tree of Life. Such a post is called Asherah in the Bible.”
From his article titled “Nephi and his Asherah,” Daniel Peterson writes: “Let us now focus more precisely on the nature of the veneration that was paid to the divine consort among the Israelites. What was the ‘asherah’ that stood in the temple at Jerusalem and in Samari? [placed there by the evil King Manasseh (II Kings 21:7)] Asherah was associated with trees….The rabbinic authors of the Jewish Mishna (second-third century AD) explain asherah as a tree that was worshiped…. Asherah was both goddess and cult symbol. She was the ‘tree.’ The menorah, the seven-branched candelabrum that stood for centuries in the temple in Jerusalem, supplies an interesting parallel to all this: Leon Yarden maintains that the menorah represents a stylized almond tree. He points to the notably radiant whiteness of the almond tree at certain points in its life cycle. Yarden also argues that the archaic Greek name of the almond (amygdale, reflected in its contemporary botanical designation as Amygdalis communis), almost certainly not a native Greek word, is most likely derived from the Hebrew em gedolah, meaning ‘Great Mother.’” ([ ] Brackets mine)
I have two reference books on the Jewish Tabernacle: Teaching from the Tabernacle, by Roy Lee DeWitt, and The Tabernacle, by William Brown. Both of these books state that the candlestick of pure gold (Ex 25:31) represents the “light of Christ.” As all the fixtures and rituals of the Tabernacle were a picture of the coming Messiah, so the seven lamps (the number of perfection) were a picture of the perfect light of the world: Jesus Christ.
Daniel Peterson continues: “But Nephi’s vision goes even further, identifying Mary with the tree. This additional element seems to derive from precisely the preexilic Palestinian culture into which, the Book of Mormon tells us, Nephi had been born.” After associating Mary with the Asherah tree, Daniel Peterson claims the metaphorical teachings of “wisdom” in the Bible are really a representation of the “wife of God”: “But among the interesting correspondences between ancient Near Eastern wisdom literature and the Book of Mormon, one is of special interest for the present article. Wisdom itself is represented in Proverbs 1 – 9 as a female person. Indeed, here and elsewhere in ancient Hebrew and Jewish literature, Wisdom appears as the wife of God, which can hardly fail to remind us of ancient Asherah.”
Lehi’s Dream of the “Tree of Life” and the Mormon attempt to associate the Virgin Mary with a pagan female fertility goddess and then “wisdom” as the “wife of God” are all tied to the “Mother God” doctrine of Mormonism.
Rocky Hulse.

JUDGING

2010-08-15T11:28:00.000-05:00

"...Take heed what ye do: for ye judge not for man, but for the LORD, who is with you in the judgment." (II Chronicles 19:6)

Christians frequently run into many who give the admonition “not to judge", but is this frequently being used to place a virtual gag order over those who would speak up against false teachings, worldly practices and those who promote such? I say it is. Some will even use a "don't judge" stance when erroneous teachings and ministries in other churches are examined. In fact, many false prophets are using Scripture references like "touch not my anointed" and "do my prophets no harm" in order to protect their doctrines and actions from being revealed for what they are. The word judge has been so perverted that to judge anything is now considered by many to be anti-Christian behavior, and anyone who does so is likely to be labeled as an "accuser of the brethren."

There are many individuals and Ministries out there that believe that we are not to address what we feel to be false doctrine and unsound biblical teachings. They cry out that we are not judge others - That we are not to name names - That we are to simply pray for them and leave them be. They claim that if we do speak out we are tearing down the body of Christ. They vehemently are against those that would expose false doctrine. In a "Why can't we all get along?" mentality they forsake the safeguarding of the truth.

I would like to focus on what the scriptures tell us about judging, and how and why we should do so. What does God have to say on this subject? Is it true that Christians are told not to judge? The simple answer is no. In fact, according to Scripture those who do not judge are more likely to be led astray by false doctrines and are less effective witnesses for Christ.

I. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO JUDGE?

Webster's defines the act of judging as "to form an opinion about through careful weighing of evidence and testing of premises." Simply stated, judging is simply the PROCESS OF EVALUATION that people naturally employ everyday to make determinations of what is true: we judge when we need to leave to arrive on time to a particular destination; we judge what we should wear based on what the weather is for the day; we judge the credibility of others based on what they do and say, and we judge what those who teach about God based on his written Word, the Bible.

Problems arise because judging can be subjective. In other words, your judgments are based on your perceptions, motives, and understandings. This is why two people can judge the exact same situation and come up with different determinations. Since the judgments of man are therefore rooted in the "opinions" of man, no man's judgments can be taken as absolute or complete truth. This is the implied accusation behind every admonition not to judge. "Who are YOU to judge? What makes you think YOUR judgments are correct?"

II. WHO IS SUPPOSED TO JUDGE?

We know from Scripture that God is the Judge of all:

I have not wronged you, but you are doing me wrong by waging war against me. Let the LORD, the Judge, decide the dispute this day between the Israelites and the Ammonites." (Judges 11:27)

Far be it from you to do such a thing--to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?" (Genesis 18:25)

And the heavens proclaim his righteousness, for God himself is judge. Selah (Psalms 50:6)

The LORD takes his place in court; he rises to judge the people. (Isaiah 3:13)

to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, (Hebrews 12:23)

God is set in position as our Judge because He is all-knowing, and He is Truth. As such God's judgments are righteous and true (John 8:26; Romans 11:33; Revelation 16:7; Revelation 19:2).

Although God alone is the Judge, this does not mean that ONLY God judges. In fact, the Word of God says that God enables man to judge, commands man to judge, and is pleased with those who seek to judge righteously.

Scriptures clearly show that throughout time God has imparted to man the authority to judge:

Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly. (Leviticus 19:15)

The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man's judgment (I Corinthians 2:15)

In Zechariah 3:7 God states that He gives those who obey Him the authority to judge, "Thus saith the LORD of hosts; If thou wilt walk in my ways, and if thou wilt keep my charge, then thou shalt also judge my house, and shalt also keep my courts, and I will give thee places to walk among these that stand by."

There are also additional references in Scripture to this process of judging that may not specifically use the word judge. For example, in the original languages, the words translated as judge in Scripture are also translated examine, search, discern, ask, question, contend, esteem, and determine.

In the Old Testament, God specifically identified those who were set in positions as Judges over His people as chronicled in the Book of Judges. We also see that one responsibility of the prophets was to declare God's judgment to the people (Judges 4:4; II Samuel 12:1-12; Micah 3:1-8; Malachi 4:4; Hosea 6:5).

In Ezra 7:25, it states that those who judge serve two purposes:

1). To judge those who know the law; and

2). To teach the law to those who do not know.

Scripture also shows that God considers the exercise of judgment to be evidence of our seeking truth:

"Go up and down the streets of Jerusalem, look around and consider, search through her squares. If you can find but one person who deals honestly and seeks the truth, I will forgive this city.(Jeremiah 5:1).

The fact that the desire to judge righteously is highly esteemed by God is clearly illustrated in I Kings 3:9-13. In verse 9, King Solomon asks, "Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?" We see here that Solomon asked God for discernment to judge between good and bad. This request not only pleased the Lord, but God blessed Solomon greatly for asking for the wisdom to judge.

In the New Testament, we continue to see that God expects us to exercise judgment. Jesus Himself criticized the Pharisees for being unable to judge the spiritual things of God and the importance of judging spiritual matters continued to be stressed throughout His disciples' ministries (Matthew 16:3; Luke 12:56-57; John 7:24; Acts 4:19; I Corinthians 2:15; I Corinthians 5:3; I Corinthians 6:2-5; I Corinthians 10:15; I Corinthians 14:29; Hebrews 5:14). Further, we are told that it is to our shame if there is none among us who can judge the things of God. God also states that judgment is considered one of the weightier aspects of God's law, even more than offerings:

"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices--mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law--justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.(Matthew 23:23)

When citing God's "command" not to judge, people often refer to Matthew 7:1, however, let's look at the complete Scripture in context:

"Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye." (Matthew 7:1-5)

Jesus clearly says do not judge so that you will not be judged, but to whom is He speaking? He identifies His audience in verse 5 with the words "Thou hypocrite." Jesus is not forbidding Christians to judge (unless He is calling every Christian a hypocrite). He is warning that we will be held accountable for what we know. In other words, if we know enough about sinful behavior to tell others that it is wrong, then we have no excuse as to why that sin would be present in our lives. This is consistent with Paul's advice in I Corinthians 11:31-32 that we judge ourselves first so that we will not be judged. As Jesus says in verse 5, we should cast the beam out of our own eye and then we are in position to point out the fault to others.

In truth, God does not forbid us to judge, but He sets up conditions wherein we MUST judge.

III. HOW ARE WE TO JUDGE?

The primary stipulation given for Christians regarding judging is that we are not to proclaim our own judgments (based on our opinions) but to pronounce the judgments of God (based on truth). Jesus serves as the best example in this manner. "I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me." (John 5:30)

Here Jesus confirms that all true judgment comes from God alone, but He also sets forth the criteria for what constitutes just judgments. Jesus says that because He places His will in subjection to God the Father, He is able to HEAR God's words and be sent by God to pronounce His judgments. Again in John 8:15-16 Jesus asserts that only judgments that come from God are true:

"Ye judge after the flesh; I judge no man. And yet IF I judge, my judgment is true: for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me."

This is the pattern for how we are commanded to judge righteously, "Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment." (John 7:24).

We must have our will in subjection to God's which enables us to know God's words and allows us to be sent by God to others with His message.

Scripture also shows that God has given us His Spirit to specifically fulfill these purposes in man (among other things), thereby allowing righteous judgments to be pronounced by man.

The Spirit Engenders Obedience to the Father:

In Acts 5:32, we see that having our will in subjection to God as our Father is a requirement for receiving the Holy Spirit, "And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him." See also Romans 8:14-16; Galatians 4:6; I Peter 1:22; and I John 3:24.

The Spirit Reveals God's Words to Us:

We are also told that the Holy Spirit will reveal the words of the Father to us as He leads us into all truth. "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come." Additional references include John 16:13; Luke 2:26; John 14:26; Acts 13:2; I Corinthians 2:10-14; and Ephesians 1:17.

The Spirit Sends God's People to Accomplish God's Work:

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord." (Luke 4:18-19; Also Acts 13:4)

The Spirit Places the Words of God in Our Mouths:

"For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him." (John 3:34). There are other references like Matthew 10:20; Matthew 12:18; Luke 12:11-12; Mark 12:36; Mark 13:11; Acts 1:16; Acts 2:4; Acts 2:17; Acts 4:31; Acts 21:11; Acts 28:25; I Corinthians 2:4; I Corinthians 2:13; and II Peter 1:21.

The Word of God also states that one of the gifts of the Spirit is that of discernment (I Corinthians 12:10). In fact, this is the same discernment that is cited as an evidence of one's maturity in God in Hebrews 5:12-14:

"For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil." (Hebrews 5:12-14)

Through the Spirit of God, man is able to hear God's words and proclaim His judgments righteously:

"But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man." (I Corinthians 2:15)

IV. WHY ARE WE TO JUDGE?

According to the Bible, the act of judging righteously is a benefit to the individual Christian and to the body of believers as a whole. Judging helps to sanctify the individual believer, prepares us to do the work of God, protects us from heretical doctrine that jeopardizes our faith, makes us an effective witness for Christ, and is a demonstration of God's grace to others.

A. Judge One’s Self

"Sanctify them through thy truth: thy WORD is truth." (John 17:17) Judging ones' self with the Word of God is a key part of the process of sanctification through which every believer proceeds. This is why we are told to examine ourselves to see if we be in the faith. (II Corinthians 13:5) This is not simply an act of casual reflection. God is charging us, "Judge yourself to see if you really are what you claim!" Does the fruit of our lives attest to the words of our lips? Although we proclaim to be Christians, do our day-to-day lives line up to the Word of God? Christ has come in direct opposition to the god of this world, the Father of lies. To combat the lies, Jesus presents us with incorruptible Truth. It is only by submitting to this Truth that the Spirit of God can be a lamp unto our feet, searching out our souls and turning our stony hearts into hearts of faith. (Psalms 119; Acts 26:18; Romans 15:16; Ephesians 5:26-27; I Corinthians 6:11; II Corinthians 3:3; I Thessalonians 5:23; II Thessalonians 2:13; I Peter 1:2, 22)

Sanctification is not a one time, immediate change that occurs when we accept Christ. It is a process of being cleansed through the washing of the water by the Word whereby we can be transformed into the image of God as we walk in relationship with Him. It is this process of judging ones' self that prompted David to cry out:

"Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." (Psalms 139:23-24)

As we judge our own selves in the light of God's word we continue in the process of sanctification, which is the will of God for every Christian:

"For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour." (I Thessalonians 4:3-4)

In fact, the Apostle Paul said that if we would simply judge ourselves, we will not be condemned when God judges us. "For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world." (I Corinthians 11:31-32)

Not only does judging one's self keep you in a place of being sanctified by God, it is only then that we are made fit for the Master's use:

"If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work." (II Timothy 2:21)

B. Judging Doctrine

Many refuse to judge anything for fear of being called divisive. Still others cause senseless disputations by making everything a matter of doctrine; judging others in legalistic areas that are not germane to salvation. However, Romans 16:17 makes it clear not only what constitutes a division, but how to treat those who cause them:

"Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them."

First, this Scripture does not say to simply mark those who cause divisions or offenses (although this is what many who will say not to judge would like us to believe). It says to mark those who cause divisions or offenses by espousing doctrine that is contrary to Scripture. This is an important distinction because it implies that there are divisions or offenses that are NOT contrary to Scripture. In fact, Scripture itself can be such a division or offense. We are told that the Word of God is a sword dividing the wheat from the chaff, both within the inner being of an individual and between individuals. (Ephesians 6:17; Hebrews 4:12; Matthew 10:34-36) Further, both the written and the incarnate Word of God are referred to as a rock of OFFENSE:

just as it is written, "BEHOLD, I LAY IN ZION A STONE OF STUMBLING AND A ROCK OF OFFENSE, AND HE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED." (Romans 9:33)

This precious value, then, is for you who believe; but for those who disbelieve, "THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED, THIS BECAME THE VERY CORNER stone, and, "A STONE OF STUMBLING AND A ROCK OF OFFENSE"; for they stumble because they are disobedient to the WORD, and to this doom they were also appointed. (I Peter 2:7-8)

Every Christian needs to settle in their minds that the Word of God will be considered divisive and offensive by those who rebel against God. If you have determined that you will not "judge" so as to avoid these accusations, then you have essentially chosen not to be a witness for Christ:

"Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that HEAR thee." (I Timothy 4:16)

In the above Scripture, we are warned to "take heed" for not only our own selves but for the DOCTRINE. In other words, God is saying to pay attention to, watch out for, take care of the doctrine. Why? Because not all doctrine is SOUND doctrine. In fact, we are told specifically that DEVILS also have DOCTRINES:

But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons (I Timothy 4:1) See also, Revelation 2:14-15; Revelation 2:24)

It is precisely because there are these other "gospels" that we are warned to hold fast to what was given to us originally. (II Corinthians 11:4; Galatians 1:6-7;Titus 1:9; II Peter 3:1-13; I Timothy 1:6-7; Romans 6:17; Acts 2:42; Revelation 3:3)

Yet, the only way that we can hold fast to the Gospel is if we can discern or JUDGE between the true and the false. (Hebrews 5:13-14) Once again, the Word of God is presented as the standard for such an evaluation (Romans 6:17; Romans 16:17; II Thessalonians 2:15; I Timothy 1:3; II Timothy 1:13; II Timothy 3:13-17; II Timothy 4:2; II Peter 3:1-13; II John 1:10; Titus 1:9; Matthew 15:3-6).

Why is judging doctrine so important? Because there are doctrines that can jeopardize your faith and even your salvation:

"Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the DOCTRINE of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. If there come any unto you, and bring not THIS DOCTRINE, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds." (II John 1:9-11)

This scripture is key to understanding why Christians should not wish well to those who teach and promote false doctrines. Their cries to ‘just leave us alone’ while they continue to send messengers door to door preaching ‘another gospel’ is reason enough to do as Jude exhorts us to, which is:

“earnestly contend for the faith which was ONCE delivered unto the saints. For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Jude 1:4-5)

Paul told the Ephesians to:

Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather EXPOSE them. (Ephesians 5:11)

The Bible even shows that it is sometimes necessary to specifically name those who are erring in the faith in order to protect others whom they may influence:

"But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness. And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus; Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already: and overthrow the faith of some." (II Timothy 2:16-Also I Timothy 1:19-20; I Timothy 5:20-21; II Timothy 4:10; Galatians 2: 11-14; II Timothy 4: 14-15; III John 1:9)

I Timothy 4:16 also states that it is not only important to take heed to the doctrine but to continue in it. This is precisely the type of problem that the Apostle Paul was addressing in Galatians 1:6-7:

"I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto ANOTHER GOSPEL: which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would PERVERT the gospel of Christ."

We are further warned that in the last days these doctrines of devils will be more prevalent and persuasive than ever, even to the point of deceiving the elect of God - if it were possible to do so. (Matthew 10:11; Matthew 24:24; Mark 13:22; II Thessalonians 2:3; I Timothy 4:1-5; II Timothy 4:3-4)

Lastly, I Timothy 4:16 reveals that by taking heed for and continuing in sound doctrine we will not only see salvation ourselves, but so will those to whom we witness. Conversely, as supported in II John 1:9-11, not continuing in sound doctrine results in us believing and spreading a perverted gospel that is powerless to save.

CONCLUSION

The Word of God continually warns about the presence of false prophets in the world. Even more disarming, Scripture tells us that these deceivers will be mixed in with the church itself. (Matthew 13:24-40; Acts 20:29-31; II Timothy 2:20-21; II Timothy 4:3; II Timothy 3:13; Matthew 7:15; Matthew 24:11, 24; Mark 13:22; II Corinthians 11:4; Philippians 3:18-19; Galatians 2:4; II Peter 2:1)

"For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 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." (II Corinthians 11:13-15)

I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who CLAIM TO BE APOSTLES but are not, and have found them FALSE. (Revelation 2:2)

God is telling us that there are ministers of Satan in the world who are actually transformed so that they appear as ministers of righteousness! We are even told that some of these false ministers will have Satanic power to perform supernatural signs, wonders, healings, and other miraculous events. (Matthew 24:24; Mark 13:22; II Thessalonians 2:9).

Throughout Scripture, God warns us about these false prophets, false brethren, false apostles, etc. Is His direction for us to accept these individuals without question in a show of love? No. God is no fool and He knows that the intent of these individuals is to pull you and others out of the faith. (II Peter 2:1-22)

The end times, we are told, will be specifically marked by a great falling away as people are drawn away after false gospels. As a result, God commands us to judge whether they in fact are members of the Body of Christ, discern the signs, try the spirits, examine the fruit and be purged from these! (I Corinthians 5:7; II Corinthians 6:14-17; Ephesians 5:11; I Timothy 6:5; II Timothy 2:21; II Thessalonians 3:6; Titus 3:10)

How do we identify false brethren? Because they preach and live a gospel that is a perversion of the Word of God. “They should go to the teachings and to the written instructions. If people don't speak these words, it is because it doesn't dawn on them.” (Isaiah 8:20) Scripture not only tells us how to identify the false, but it shows us how to recognize the true Body of Christ. We know them by their fruit.(Matthew 7:16-20; Matthew 12:33; Matthew 13:23; Matthew 21:19-43; Mark 4:8, 20; Luke 6:44; Luke 8:15; John 15:1-16; Galatians 5:22; Ephesians 5:9-11; Colossians 1:10)

Remember:

"Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds." (II John 1:9-11)

And lastly, take these words to heart:

Therefore I esteem all they precepts concerning all things to be right; and I hate every false way. (Psalms 119:128)

DISCOVERING THE FACTS ABOUT THE BOOK OF MORMON

2010-08-09T18:34:00.000-05:00

For all the professing Book of Mormon believers out there whom I have found to be ill-informed I have compiled a list of fact-based information I believe every Mormon ought to at least be familiar with before testifying they “know its true”. This doesn’t go into any of the additional BofM problems including; authorship, it’s 3,000 changes, etc.

You can then go to FAIR where LDS Church paid and financed Mormon experts provide their take. In summary their take is turning facts into fiction in order to make it all work. Please keep in mind you ought to question the story since metal is talked about existing long before even the bronze age, and God said not to install windows before glass existed, not to mention Hill Cumorah happens to have been the site of two great battles where over a million were killed with metal swords yet there to date has not been a single sword found not only at hill Cumorah (name coming from Cumorah the Island State whose capitol city is by coincidence Moroni) but anywhere in North or south America. Not to mention of course there are no bones to show anyone died at Cumorah.

This is a small fraction of the fraud I uncovered while attempting to increase my testimony and become a better Mormon. Happy reading and God bless you as he did me in your quest for truth and reality-- Steve Kimball

Book of Mormon Culture

Silk: “And now, because of the steadiness of the church they began to be exceedingly rich, having abundance of all things whatsoever they stood in need--an abundance of flocks and herds, and fatlings of every kind, and also abundance of grain, and of gold, and of silver, and of precious things, and abundance of silk and fine-twined linen, and all manner of good homely cloth.” Alma 1:29, Book of Mormon

No evidence of silk in Mesoamerica

Chariots: “And they said unto him: Behold, he is feeding thy horses. Now the king had commanded his servants, previous to the time of the watering of their flocks, that they should prepare his horses and chariots, and conduct him forth to the land of Nephi; for there had been a great feast appointed at the land of Nephi, by the father of Lamoni, who was king over all the land.”

- Alma 18:9, Book of Mormon

No evidence of wheeled vehicles in Book of Mormon times

Seven-day week: “But the seventh day, the sabbath of the Lord thy God, thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates;”

- Mosiah 13:8, Book of Mormon

The seven-day week was not known during Book of Mormon times

Cimeters: “And it came to pass that I did arm them with bows, and with arrows, with swords, and with cimeters, and with clubs, and with slings, and with all manner of weapons which we could invent, and I and my people did go forth against the Lamanites to battle.”

- Mosiah 9:16, Book of Mormon

No evidence of cimeters in Ancient America

Uninhabited Continent: “And behold, it is wisdom that this land should be kept as yet from the knowledge of other nations; for behold, many nations would overrun the land, that there would be no place for an inheritance.”

- 2 Nephi 1:8, Book of Mormon

The continent has been inhabited for 30,000 years – millions of inhabitants

Empty Continent

The Book of Mormon seems to claim that the hemisphere was empty at time of Lehi’s arrival:

5 But, said he, notwithstanding our afflictions, we have obtained a land of promise, a land which is choice above all other lands; a land which the Lord God hath covenanted with me should be a land for the inheritance of my seed. Yea, the Lord hath covenanted this land unto me, and to my children forever, and also all those who should be led out of other countries by the hand of the Lord.
6 Wherefore, I, Lehi, prophesy according to the workings of the Spirit which is in me, that there shall none come into this land save they shall be brought by the hand of the Lord.
7 Wherefore, this land is consecrated unto him whom he shall bring. And if it so be that they shall serve him according to the commandments which he hath given, it shall be a land of liberty unto them; wherefore, they shall never be brought down into captivity; if so, it shall be because of iniquity; for if iniquity shall abound cursed shall be the land for their sakes, but unto the righteous it shall be blessed forever.
8 And behold, it is wisdom that this land should be kept as yet from the knowledge of other nations; for behold, many nations would overrun the land, that there would be no place for an inheritance.
9 Wherefore, I, Lehi, have obtained a promise, that inasmuch as those whom the Lord God shall bring out of the land of Jerusalem shall keep his commandments, they shall prosper upon the face of this land; and they shall be kept from all other nations, that they may possess this land unto themselves. And if it so be that they shall keep his commandments they shall be blessed upon the face of this land, and there shall be none to molest them, nor to take away the land of their inheritance; and they shall dwell safely forever. . . .
11 Yea, he will bring other nations unto them, and he will give unto them power, and he will take away from them the lands of their possessions, and he will cause them to be scattered and smitten.

- 2 Nephi, Chapter 1, Book of Mormon

"The Lord took every precaution to see that nothing might interfere with this posterity of Joseph in working out their God-given destiny and the destiny of America. He provided, and so told Lehi at the very beginning of his settlement, that: . . it is wisdom that this land should be kept as yet from the knowledge of other nations ; for behold, many nations would overrun the land, that there would be no place for an inheritance. (2 Nephi 1:8.) The Lord so kept the land for a thousand years after Lehi landed. He so kept it in His wisdom for another thousand years after the Nephites were destroyed, perhaps to give the Lamanitish branch another chance."

- Apostle J. Reuben Clark, "Prophecies, Penalties, and Blessings," Improvement Era, 1940, v. xliii., July 1940. no. 7

"We, therefore cast a glance southward into old Mexico and through the great countries beyond -- down through Central America and South America, where there are millions and millions of Lamanites, direct descendants of Father Lehi."

- Elder Andrew Jenson, Church Historian's Officer, Conference Report, October 1921, p.120

"About twenty-five centuries ago, a hardy group left the comforts of a great city, crossed a desert, braved an ocean, and came to the shores of this, their promised land. There were two large families, those of Lehi and Ishmael, who in not many centuries numbered hundreds of millions of people on these two American continents."

- Prophet Spencer W. Kimball, The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, p. 601

Book of Mormon Metallurgy

“Metallurgy does not appear in the region under discussion until about the 9th century A.D. None of the foregoing technical demands are met by the archaeology of the region proposed as Book-of-Mormon lands and places. I regard this as a major weakness in the armor of our proponents and friends. (It is just as troublesome to the authors of the other correlations – those [who] have gone before – including Tom Ferguson.) I doubt that the proponents will be very convincing if they contend that evidence of metallurgy is difficult to find and a rarity in archaeology. Where mining was practiced – as in the Old Testament world, mountains of ore and tailings have been found. Artifacts of metal have been found. Art portrays the existence of metallurgical products. Again, the score is zero.

- Thomas Ferguson, “Written Symposium,” pp. 20-21, reprinted in Stan Larson, Quest for the Gold Plates, p. 257

Bellows: “And it came to pass that I, Nephi, did make a bellows wherewith to blow the fire, of the skins of beasts; and after I had made a bellows, that I might have wherewith to blow the fire, I did smite two stones together that I might make fire.”

- 1 Nephi 17:11, Book of Mormon

No evidence of bellows in Book of Mormon times

Brass: “And I did teach my people to build buildings, and to work in all manner of wood, and of iron, and of copper, and of brass, and of steel, and of gold, and of silver, and of precious ores, which were in great abundance.”

- 2 Nephi 5:15, Book of Mormon

No evidence of brass in Book of Mormon times

Book of Mormon Animals

"The terms cattle, horses, sheep and so on are mentioned at several points in the Nephite record. And it is dismaying to some who wish to be dismayed, I believe and a few others who (honestly) wish an answer could be provided why there are not cows like we mean cows, horses like we mean horses, sheep like we mean sheep. The fact is that all the ancient studies say those animals simply were not present in the New World. Period. They were not here."

- John Sorenson, LDS Apologist, FARMS article from their website

All of these animals are found in the Book of Mormon yet none of them existed in America during Book of Mormon times:
1. Ass
2. Bull
3. Calf
4. Cattle
5. Cow
6. Domestic Goat
7. Horse (plays a major role in the Book of Mormon)

Book of Mormon Crops

Crops that did NOT exist in Book of Mormon times contrary to the claims of the Book of Mormon

Barley: “A senum of silver was equal to a senine of gold, and either for a measure of barley, and also for a measure of every kind of grain.”

- Alma 11:7, Book of Mormon

Wheat: “And we began to till the ground, yea, even with all manner of seeds, with seeds of corn, and of wheat, and of barley, and with neas, and with sheum, and with seeds of all manner of fruits; and we did begin to multiply and prosper in the land.”

- Mosiah 9:9, Book of Mormon

"There's a whole system of production of wheat and barley… It's a specialized production of food. You have to know something to make flax [the source of linen], and especially in tropical climates. Grapes and olives... all these are cultures that are highly developed and amount to systems, and so the Book of Mormon is saying that these systems existed here."

- Dr. Raymond T. Matheny, BYU anthropology professor, August 25, 1984 Sunstone conference in Salt Lake City

Crops that DID exist in abundance in Book of Mormon times yet are not mentioned in the Book of Mormon

Chocolate
Lima beans
Squash
Potatoes
Tomatoes
Manioc

Archaeology and the Book of Mormon

"It is the personal opinion of the writer that the Lord does not intend that the Book of Mormon, at least at the present time, shall be proved true by any archaeological findings. They day may come when such will be the case, but not now. The Book of Mormon is itself a witness of the truth, and the promise has been given most solemnly that any person who will read it with a prayerful heart may receive the abiding testimony of its truth.”

- Prophet Joseph Fielding Smith, Answers to Gospel Questions, 1998, v. 2, p. 196

“... our testimony of the Book of Mormon remain[s] a matter of faith, and [is] not based upon external proofs found from archaeology.”

- Duane R. Aston, Return to Cumorah, 1998

“So far as is known to the writer, no non-Mormon archaeologist at the present time is using the Book of Mormon as a guide in archaeological research. Nor does he know of any non-Mormon archaeologist who holds that the American Indians are descendants of the Jews, or that Christianity was known in America in the first century of our era...”

- Ulster Archaeological Society Newsletter, no. 64, Jan. 30, 1960, p. 3

“We conclude, therefore, that the Book of Mormon remains completely unverified by archaeology. The claims Mormon missionaries have made are fallacious and misleading.”

- Archaeology and the Book of Mormon, pamphlet by Hal Hougey, p. 4-6, 1976

"With the exception of Latter-day Saint archaeologists, members of the archaeological profession do not, and never have, espoused the Book of Mormon in any sense of which I am aware. Non-Mormon archaeologists do not allow the Book of Mormon any place whatever in their reconstruction of the early history of the New World.”

- Ulster Archaeological Society Newsletter, no. 64, Jan. 30, 1960, p.3

“It is not necessary here to repeat the passages in the Book of Mormon which describe such civilization.... It is only needful to show that nothing could be wider from the truth, unless all ancient American history is a lie, and its ten thousand relics tell false tales.
“It may be stated in a general way that there never has been a time upon this western hemisphere within the historic period, or within three thousand years past when a uniform civilization of ANY KIND prevailed over both continents.
“We are to learn now:
1st. That a Christian civilization has never existed in Central America, not even for a day.
2nd. The people of Central America, as far back as their record has been traced (and that is centuries earlier than the alleged beginning of Nephite history), have always been an idolatrous people.... The entire civilization of the Book of Mormon, its whole record from beginning to end is flatly contradicted by the civilization and the history of Central America.”

- The Golden Bible, by M.T. Lamb, p. 366, 370, 373

“Let me know state uncategorically that as far as I know there is not one professionally trained archaeologist, who is not a Mormon, who sees any scientific justification for believing the foregoing to be true, ... nothing, absolutely nothing, has ever shown up in any New World excavation which would suggest to a dispassionate observer that the Book of Mormon... is a historical document relating to the history of early migrants to our hemisphere.”

- Michael Coe, Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, Summer 1973, pp. 42, 46

"The first myth we need to eliminate is that Book of Mormon archaeology exists…. If one is to study Book of Mormon archaeology, then one must have a corpus of data with which to deal. We do not. The Book of Mormon is really there so one can have Book of Mormon studies, and archaeology is really there so one can study archaeology, but the two are not wed. At least they are not wed in reality since no Book of Mormon location is known with reference to modern topography. Biblical archaeology can be studied because we do know where Jerusalem and Jericho were and are, but we do not know where Zarahemla and Bountiful (nor any other location for that matter) were or are. It would seem then that a concentration on geography should be the first order of business, but we have already seen that twenty years of such an approach has left us empty-handed."

- Dee F. Green, Mormon archaeologist, Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, Summer 1969, pp. 77-78

“I’m afraid that up to this point, I must agree with Dee Green, who has told us that to date there is no Book-of-Mormon geography.... you can’t set Book of Mormon geography down anywhere – because it is fictional and will never meet the requirements of the dirt-archaeology.”

- Thomas S. Ferguson, Mormon archaeologist, and author of Quest for the Gold Plates, “Letter to Mr. and Mrs. H.W. Lawrence,” dated Feb. 20, 1976

“While some people chose to make claims for the Book of Mormon through archaeological evidences, to me they are made prematurely, and without sufficient knowledge. I do not support the books written on this subject including The Messiah in Ancient America, or any other. I believe that the authors are making cases out of too little evidences and do not adequately address the problems that archaeology and the Book of Mormon present. I would feel terribly embarrassed if anyone sent a copy of any book written on the subject to the National Museum of Natural History – Smithsonian Institution, or other authority, making claims that cannot as yet be substantiated.... there are very severe problems in this field in trying to make correlations with the scriptures. Speculation, such as practiced so far by Mormon authors has not given church members credibility.”

- Ray T. Matheny, Mormon scholar and BYU professor of anthropology, letter dated Dec. 17, 1987

“The Book of Mormon talks about ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgical industries. A ferrous industry is a whole system of doing something. It’s just not an esoteric process that a few people are involved in, but ferrous industry.., means mining iron ores and then processing these ores and casting [them] into irons.... This is a process that’s very complicated...it also calls for cultural backup to allow such an activity to take place.... In my recent reading of the Book of Mormon, I find that iron and steel are mentioned in sufficient context to suggest that there was a ferrous industry here.... You can’t refine ore without leaving a bloom of some kind or impurities that blossom out and float to the top of the ore... and also the flux of limestone or whatever is used to flux the material.... [This] blooms off into silicas and indestructible new rock forms. In other words, when you have a ferroused metallurgical industry, you have these evidences of the detritus that is left over. You also have the fuels, you have the furnaces, you have whatever technologies that were there performing these tasks; they leave solid evidences. And they are indestructible things.... No evidence has been found in the new world for a ferrous metallurgical industry dating to pre-Columbian times. And so this is a king-size kind of problem, it seems to me, for the so-called Book of Mormon archaeology. This evidence is absent.”

- Ray T. Matheny, Speech at Sunstone Symposium 6, "Book of Mormon Archaeology," August 25, 1984

"I really have difficulty in finding issue or quarrel with those opening chapters of the Book of Mormon [i. e., the first 7 chapters which only relate to Lehi and his family around the area of Jerusalem]. But thereafter it doesn't seem like a translation to me.... And the terminologies and the language used and the methods of explaining and putting things down are 19th century literary concepts and cultural experiences one would expect Joseph Smith and his colleagues would experience. And for that reason I call it transliteration, and I’d rather not call it a translation after the 7th chapter. And I have real difficulty in trying to relate these cultural concepts as I've briefly discussed here with archeological findings that I'm aware of.... "If I were doing this cold like John Carlson is here, I would say in evaluating the Book of Mormon that it had no place in the New World whatsoever. I would have to look for the place of the Book of Mormon events to have taken place in the Old World. It just doesn't seem to fit anything that he has been taught in his discipline, nor I in my discipline in anthropology, history; there seems to be no place for it. It seems misplaced. It seems like there are anachronisms. It seems like the items are out of time and place, and trying to put them into the New World. And I think there’s a great difficulty here for we Mormons in understanding what this book is all about."

- Ray T. Matheny, Speech at Sunstone Symposium 6, "Book of Mormon Archeology," August 25, 1984

“The American Indians are physically Mongoloids and thus must have originated in Eastern Asia. The differences in appearance of the various New World tribes in recent times are due to (1) the initial variability of their Asian ancestors; (2) adaptations over several millennia to varied New World environments; and (3) different degrees of interbreeding in post-Columbian times with people of European and African origins.”

- “Origins of the American Indians,” National Museum of Natural History – Smithsonian Institute, Washington, D.C., 1985, p. 1

“Your recent inquiry concerning the Smithsonian Institution's alleged use of the Book of Mormon as a scientific guide has been received in the Smithsonian's Department of Anthropology.
The Book of Mormon is a religious document and not a scientific guide. The Smithsonian Institution has never used it in archeological research and any information that you have received to the contrary is incorrect. Accurate information about the Smithsonian's position is contained in the enclosed "Statement Regarding the Book of Mormon," which was prepared to respond to the numerous inquiries that the Smithsonian receives on this topic.
"Because the Smithsonian regards the unauthorized use of its name to disseminate inaccurate information as unlawful, we would appreciate your assistance in providing us with the names of any individuals who are misusing the Smithsonian's name.”

- Statement by the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Spring 1986

“... our testimony of the Book of Mormon remain[s] a matter of faith, and [is] not based upon external proofs found from archaeology.”

- Duane R. Aston, Return to Cumorah, 1998

“I haven’t changed my views about the Book of Mormon since my 1973 article. I have seen no archaeological evidence before or since that date which would convince me that it is anything but a fanciful creation by an unusually gifted individual living in upstate New York in the early nineteenth century.”

- Michael Coe, correspondence between Bill McKeever and Michael Coe

“In 1949 [actually 1946] California lawyer, Tom Ferguson, rolled up his sleeves, threw a shovel over his shoulder, and marched into the remote jungles of southern Mexico. Armed with a quote by Joseph Smith that the Lord had ‘a hand in proving the Book of Mormon true in the eyes of all people,’ Ferguson’s goal was: Shut the mouths of the critics who said such evidence did not exist. Ferguson began an odyssey that included twenty-four trips to Central America, eventually resulting in a mountain of evidence supporting Book of Mormon claims.”

- Steve Johnson, transcript of the advertisement for The Messiah in Ancient America by Thomas Ferguson, 1988

“After many years of careful study, the real importance of Book of Mormon archaeology has dawned on me. It will take but a moment to explain. The Book of Mormon is the only revelation from God in the history of the world that can possibly be tested by scientific physical evidence.... To find the city of Jericho is merely to confirm a point in history. To find the city of Zarahemla is to confirm a point in history but it is also to confirm, through tangible physical evidence, divine revelation to the modern world through Joseph Smith, Moroni, and the Urim and Thummim. Thus, Book of Mormon history is revelation that can be tested by archaeology.”

- Thomas Ferguson to the First Presidency, April 10, 1953, Ferguson Collection, BYU

“One cannot fake over 3000 years ... of history and have the fake hold water under the scrutiny given the Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon is either fake or fact. If fake, the cities described in it are non-existent. If fact – as we know it to be – the cities will be there. If the cities exist, and they do, they constitute tangible, physical, enduring, unimpeachable evidence that Joseph Smith was a true prophet of God and that Jesus Christ lives.”

- Thomas Ferguson to the First Presidency, March 15, 1958, Ferguson Collection, BYU

“Right now I am inclined to think that all of those who claim to be ‘prophets,’ including Moses, were without a means of communicating with deity – I’m inclined to think that when Moses was on top of the mount, he was talking to himself and decided that the only way he could get the motley crowd at the bottom of the slope to come to order and to listen to him and to heed him was to tell them that he had talked to God on the mount. If this view is correct, then prophets are nothing more than mortal men like the rest of us, except they saw a great need for change and had the courage to say they had communicated with God and had received a message for man, and were believed (though false in the basic claim that the message came from God and not from man).... Right now I think Hoffer [author of True Believer] comes very close to the truth about prophets and organized religions. Right now I am inclined to think that all who believe in ‘prophets’ as true agents of God are being spoofed – but perhaps for their own good and welfare. When Joseph Smith crash-landed, a lot came down with him, as I see it.”

- Thomas Ferguson to Wesley P. Walters, July 6, 1971, Ferguson Collection, University of Utah; see Mormon Mavericks: Essays on Dissenters, p. 263

“All elements of religion that are supernatural (including endless string of miracles in the New Testament) are fabrications of men like Joseph Smith.... Further, I presently believe that Mormonism is as good a brand of supernatural religion (which sells well) as any other – including Protestantism. At the present time I am inclined to believe that supernatural religion, selling as it does, does more good than it does harm (although this is highly debatable).... In my opinion the average Protestant and the average Catholic is as blind to basic truths as is the average Mormon. If I were going to attack Joseph Smith, I would want to attack your beliefs, involving the supernatural, as well as the Mormon beliefs.”

- Thomas Ferguson to Hougey, June 26, 1975, Ferguson Collection, University of Utah; see Mormon Mavericks: Essays on Dissenters, p. 263

“Why not say the right things and keep your membership in the great fraternity, enjoying the good things you like and discarding the ones you can’t swallow (and keeping your mouths shut)? Hypocritical? Maybe. But perhaps a realistic way of dealing with a very difficult problem. There is lots left in the Church to enjoy – and thousands of members have done, and are doing, what I suggest you consider doing.”

- Thomas Ferguson to Mr. and Mrs. Harold W. Lawrence, February 9, 1976, Ferguson Collection, University of Utah

“Belonging, with my eyes wide open, is actually fun, less expensive than formerly, and no strain at all. I am now very selective in the meetings I attend, the functions I attend, the amounts I contribute etc. etc. and I have a perfectly happy time. I never get up and bear testimony – but I don’t mind listening to others who do. I am much more tolerant of other religions and other thinking and feel fine about things in general. You might give my suggestions a trial run – and if you find you have to burn all the bridges between yourselves and the Church, then go ahead and ask for excommunication. The day will probably come – but it is far off – when the leadership of the Church will change the excommunication rules and delete as ground non-belief in the 2 books mentioned [the Book of Abraham and the Book of Mormon] and in Joseph Smith as a prophet etc.... but if you wait for that day, you probably will have died. It is a long way off – tithing would drop too much for one thing.”

- Thomas Ferguson to Mr. and Mrs. Harold W. Lawrence, February 9, 1976, Ferguson Collection, University of Utah

“I wonder what really goes on in the minds of Church leadership who know of the data concerning the Book of Abraham, the new data on the First Vision, etc.... It would tend to devastate the Church if a top leader were to announce the facts.”

- Thomas Ferguson to John W. Fitzgerald, March 6, 1976, John Fitzgerald Collection, Special Collections, Milton R. Merrill Library, Utah State University

“I believe that Judaism was an improvement on polytheism; Christianity was an improvement on Judaism (to some degree and in some departments only); that Protestantism is an improvement on Catholicism; that Mormonism is an improvement on Protestantism. So I give Joseph Smith credit as an innovator and as a smart fellow.”

- Thomas Ferguson to James Still, December 3, 1979; see Mormon Mavericks: Essays on Dissenters, p. 269

“Since Oliver Cowdery was born in 1806 and was in Poultney from 1809 to 1825, he was resident in Poultney from 3 years of age until he was 19 years of age – 16 years in all. And these years encompassed the publication of View of the Hebrews, in 1822 [1823] and 1825. His three little half sisters, born in Poultney, were all baptized in Ethan Smith’s church. Thus, the family had a close tie with Ethan Smith.”

- Thomas Ferguson to Ronald Barney, January 10, 1983, Ferguson Collection, University of Utah; see Mormon Mavericks: Essays on Dissenters, pp. 270-271

THE MORMON MURDERS - WHY THE COVER-UP?

2010-08-06T15:21:00.000-05:00

It’s been just over 20 years now since Mark Hofmann, the returned Mormon Missionary, blew up two innocent people with pipe bombs, and was plea bargained out instead of going to trial.

Why wouldn’t a deranged bomber with 26 felony counts against him and the blood of two innocent people on his hands go to trial? It’s really quite simple if you’ve ever lived in Utah and you understand the power of the Mormon Church over that state. Placing Mark Hofmann on trial would have meant calling Mormon Prophets and Apostles to the witness stand. These Mormon General Authorities had been utterly fooled by him into purchasing hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of dollars worth of forged documents about early Mormon history. Mark Hofmann was born and raised a Mormon and went on his two year mission to southwest England; returning in 1976. Married in 1979, outwardly Mark appeared to be a good Mormon young man. Mark had a sinister side though, and he found an easy target in the Mormon Church. Since its beginning, the early foundations of Mormon Church history have been shrouded in claims of fraud, deceit, folklore magic, and mysticism. Also, from its beginning, the Mormon Church has been involved in trying to distance itself from those claims and provide a legitimate explanation of its establishment. Into this fertile ground of protecting the history of the Mormon Church at all costs, came Mark Hofmann with a plan to make money and make the Mormon Church look foolish—he was successful on both counts!!

The Anthon Transcript

Mark’s first big score was the “Anthon Transcript.” Martin Harris, the financier of the first printing of the Book of Mormon in 1830, was skeptical at putting up the money without some proof of the Golden Bible. Joseph Smith would only let him heft the box that supposedly contained the “Golden Plates” from which the Book of Mormon was to be translated, but this wasn’t enough to satisfy the wealthy farmer; he wanted more. So, Joseph supposedly copied characters from the gold plates and Harris took them to New York City to have the scholars of the day validate the characters. The characters were not of any known language Smith explained to Harris, they are an unknown language called “Reformed Egyptian.”

Harris eventually found his way to Charles Anthon, a professor of Greek and Latin at Columbia College. No one knows for sure what took place at this meeting except Harris came back declaring Professor Anthon had identified the characters as Egyptian, Chaldaic, Assyriac, and Arabic. When Professor Anthon later heard that the Mormons were saying he had validated the characters he wrote a blistering denial.

The “Anthon Transcript” which Martin Harris had taken on his journey was believed lost.

Picture individuals from left to right: Mark Hofmann, 1st Counselor N. Eldon Tanner, President Spencer W. Kimball, 2nd Counselor Marion G. Romney, Apostle Boyd K. Packer and Apostle Gordon B. Hinckley

In the above picture, Mark Hofmann is pictured with the most senior Mormon Church leaders studying his recently discovered (forged) “Anthon Transcript.” This incredible find (totally bogus) put Mark Hofmann on the inside tract with the front office of the Mormon Church. Mark totally fooled every senior Mormon Church leader and walked away with a quick $20,000 for his deceptive efforts; a handsome sum in 1980. Not only did Hofmann fool the Mormon Church leaders of 1980, in the picture above he is seen with the current Mormon Prophet, Gordon B. Hinckley, and the third in line to be Prophet, Apostle Boyd K. Packer.

The Salamander Letter

Mark’s next big scam was the “Salamander Letter.” The whole “translation” of the Book of Mormon is steeped in mysticism and fraud. Knowing this, Mark Hofmann dreamed up a letter that played perfectly off of those claims. His letter “…sounded more like a Grimms’ fairy tale than a Sunday-school lesson: kettles of money guarded by spirits, seer stones, enchanted spells, magic “spectacles,” ghostly visitations. And instead of a benevolent angel, a cantankerous and tricky “old spirit” who transforms himself into a white salamander!” (The Mormon Murders, pg. 127)

In order to avoid directly involving the Mormon Church in the procurement of this document (too much publicity), Hofmann worked a deal with a “faithful member,” a wealthy businessman named Steve Christensen, to purchase the document to prevent it from getting into the “wrong hands.” The idea was to allow time to cool off the interest in the document and then Steve could donate it to the Church and thus ensure a prominent place for himself and his family in the Celestial Kingdom in the next life!

The McLellin Collection

This is the scam that brought Mark Hofmann down. “William E. McLellin was an early Apostle and close associate of Joseph Smith’s who had left the Church in 1836 to become one of its bitterest critics. It had long been rumored that McLellin, who kept the minutes at early meetings of the Twelve, had taken with him a pirate’s chest full of papers, letters, and journals, all of it incriminating, with which to destroy the Church. But neither the Collection itself, nor any part of it, had ever surfaced. Until now.” (The Mormon Murders, pg. 164)

This scam was so blatant that Mark Hofmann never even forged the documents. He set a price tag of $185,000 and was working several different people, and the Mormon Church, in the scam.

Hofmann was living the high life at this time. He was flying back and forth to New York City and other places, supposedly searching for antique documents, and spending money like there was no end to its source. He was attempting to purchase a very expensive house in one of the most affluent neighborhoods in Salt Lake City and he was beginning to run tight on cash.

He went to the Mormon Church Headquarters and told them he needed the $185,000 to acquire the McLellin Collection. Hugh Pinnock, a senior member of the Quorum of Seventy (a Mormon General Authority, just under the position of Apostle), made a phone call to First Interstate Bank and arranged the loan; Mark simply had to go pick up the check.

Hofmann had also borrowed money from several other Mormons with promises of providing the McLellin Collection. Playing both ends against the middle, time was running out. Mark was under a great deal of pressure to meet all of these various obligations. Steve Christensen (the purchaser of the Salamander Letter) had entered the picture again as Mark was delinquent on his $185,000 loan arranged by the Church. “The Brethren” had elicited Steve’s help to complete the McLellin transaction through a wealthy Mormon Mission President in Nova Scotia, Canada. In his sordid mind, Hofmann believed he could release the pressure cooker he had placed himself in by blowing up Steve and then blowing up one of his business associates; therefore, diverting the investigation away from document dealing and focusing it on a possible bad business deal motive for the bombings.

The Bombings

On Tuesday October 15, 1985, two bombs took the lives of Steve Christensen and Kathy Sheets. Both pipe bombs, the one set for Steve Christensen was especially brutal, being filled with nails meant to absolutely shred its victim. Gary Sheets was the intended target for bomb number two; however, his wife, Kathy, found the bomb outside their home and she became the victim of its deadly power.

No one is sure who was the intended victim of bomb number three. Mark Hofmann was in downtown Salt Lake City in the process of delivering the bomb, when it went off prematurely and he became its victim. Severely injured, but not killed, Mark was initially thought to be an innocent victim; however, the investigation clearly showed he was the bomber.

Lying for the Lord

Hugh Pinnock, a Mormon General Authority as I’ve previously noted, arranged a $185,000 loan at First Interstate Bank for Mark Hofmann to initially purchase the McLellin Collection. The day after the third bomb explosion that injured Mark Hofmann, Elder Pinnock was interviewed about the crimes:

“…Police Detective Don Bell interviewed him at 1:12 in the afternoon on October 17, the day after the bomb exploded in Hofmann’s car.
“Elder Pinnock, this is the deal,” Bell began, notebook in hand. “This is a homicide investigation. Do you know Mr. Hofmann?”
Pinnock paused and reflected a moment. “No I don’t believe I do.””
(The Mormon Murders, pp. 246-247)

This statement by this Mormon General Authority was an absolute lie! When KSL-TV accurately reported that the Mormon Church was involved in arranging document deals and illegal loans, the Mormon Church went ballistic. “The Church is upset because we said they helped arrange a loan. Well ,they did! They say it was an individual, not the Church, but that’s baloney. It may have been an individual who placed the call, but he was a Church official, sitting in his Church office, on Church time, using a Church phone, and he did it for the…benefit of the Church. Nobody else wanted that McLellin Collection except the Church. And the Nova Scotia mission president doesn’t collect documents. He was just a big-bucks guy who said ‘If you need help, I’ll help you out.’ If the Church says they weren’t helping arrange any buyers for anything, how do you explain the fact that the Church volunteered to get an armored car to go down to Texas and pick the Collection up?” (The Mormon Murders, pg. 389)

When current Mormon Prophet, Gordon B. Hinckley, was interviewed by County Prosecuting Attorneys Bob Stott and David Biggs about his multiple dealings with Mark Hofmann, he clearly lied: “Stott and Biggs shifted uneasily in their chairs. Mike George, the investigator from the county attorney’s office who had accompanied Ken Farnsworth on the last interview with Hinckley almost four months before, marveled at how, with time in between to recollect those meetings he still couldn’t remember a thing.

“Was he ever in your office?” Stott asked. “Probably,” said Hinckley.

“Probably!” thought Biggs. Now, he was even forgetting what he had admitted in the press conference.” (The Mormon Murders, pp. 355356) When comparing the notes of the investigators of this crime, there is no doubt that Gordon B. Hinckley, now the current Mormon Prophet was lying to them.

In Utah - You Don’t Embarrass the Mormon Church!!

The case against Mark Hofmann was overwhelming. There was no question he would be convicted of 1st Degree Murder and receive the death penalty for his despicable crimes; yet he only received a mere slap on the wrist for murdering two innocent people by blowing them up with pipe bombs and, not only defrauding the Mormon Church out of hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars, but other people as well.

“It was clear to everyone by now that Bob Stott (prosecuting attorney) was determined to avoid a trial no matter what. Said one policeman when the news of the bargain spread though the department like the smell of a gas leak, “Even if we had a confession, Stott would have given Yengich (Hofmann’s attorney) anything he wanted.”

Later, when a Los Angeles Times reporter flew to Salt Lake City to cover the breaking plea-bargain story, he told Dawn Tracy [Salt Lake Tribune Reporter] that the most surprising aspect of the entire case was the attitude of the prosecution. “The typical prosecutor,” the reporter said, “goes out and gets the bad guys. He goes out and stirs things up. Here, they’re so nice and cooperative. What a nice plea bargain. In any other state, you’d see this thing go on trial, because that’s how prosecutors’ reputations are made. Going to trial and getting bad guys, big splashes, lots of exposure. Here you have a nice plea bargain.

“‘Hey,’ said Tracy, ‘You don’t rise in this state embarrassing the Mormon Church or making them look bad.’” (The Mormon Murders, pp. 420-421). Who cares about truth? Who cares about justice—in Mormonism you must protect the “Myth” at all costs!!

The Mormon Prosecutor, Bob Stott, would not execute the responsibilities of his office, because in Mormonism, the attitude toward truth is “faith before facts!” (The Mormon Murders, pg. 439)

Article by Rocky and Helen Hulse, Issue No. 24, May 2007, “The Midwest Expositor” publication of Mormon Missions Midwest Outreach - www.mormonoutreach.org.