Posted on 10/23/2013 11:12:44 AM PDT by Colofornian
A former Brigham Young University professor is sharing the story of how she and her husband, along all of with her children, left Mormonism for Christianity through God’s work of grace in their life.
Lynn Wilder is the author of the book Unveiling Grace: The Story of How We Found Our Way out of the Mormon Church, released in late August of this year. Until March 16, 2008, Wilder was a professor at Brigham Young University and a dedicated member of the Latter-Day Saints.
In a recent article in the Daily Beast, Wilder provided a condensed overview of her personal testimony, which occurred over a two-year period as God worked in the hearts of her family members.
Wilder states that in 2006, she and her husband Mike decided to visit a Christian church, but were careful to choose a gathering two hours away where no one would recognize them.
“We were paranoid, worried that if someone from Brigham Young University saw me at a non-denominational Christian church, I would lose my ecclesiastical clearance and my job as a professor,” Wilder wrote. “Only at BYU would someone lose their academic position for finding salvation outside the Mormon church.”
During this same time, Wilder’s son Micah became a born-again Christian. He announced to his fellow Mormon missionaries that he did not believe that men are saved by the works that Mormons require, and was sent home as “unworthy” to be a missionary. Just days later, Micah began serving a Christian organization in missions instead.
In the time that followed, Lynn Wilder began searching the Scriptures for answers. She states that the word of God opened her eyes to the truth.
“I read my Bible, sometimes hours a day, and truly felt I was being washed,” Wilder explained. “In its pages, I met a Jesus who was able to save me from my life of working to be ‘good.’”
Writer Sharon Lindbloom of Mormonism Research Ministry also notes that Wilder’s was impacted when she read 2 Corinthians 11:4, which states, “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.”
“Another Jesus!” Wilder said to herself. “That’s exactly what we have.”
The movie Luther, which focuses on the life Protestant reformer Martin Luther and his repudiation of the requirements imposed under the Roman Catholic religion, hit home for Wilder as well. She knew full well of following man-made requirements under Mormon rules.
“I was simply overwhelmed by the Spirit,” she said. “I went face down in surrender to Christ.”
The Brigham Young professor then set out to buy herself a cross necklace to show her love for Christ, but there was one problem—crosses were taboo at the university.
“Mormons don’t revere the cross. They see it as an instrument of death, not the place where Christ became the savior,” she stated. “[I]f I was caught, I would be called in by my superiors and lose the ecclesiastical clearance I needed to work there.”
So, Wilder hid it under her clothing with the hopes that no one saw.
Months later, Wilder requested a leave of absence and took another job in Florida. On March 16, 2008 (3/16/08), she submitted her resignation in honor of John 3:16. Both Wilder and her husband had renounced Mormonism and turned to Christ.
“We lost a religion, but we gained Christ,” Michael Wilder stated in the 2011 documentary Unveiling Grace. “And that’s a good trade.”
When word broke, Wilder says that she received a lot of criticism, but states that her joys outweigh her sufferings.
“I was stupid, a liar, an adulterer, a drug addict, and had committed gross sins,” she said. “Despite the rejection I faced from 30 years of friends, despite the fact that I lost status, position, money, might lose children and our home, I walked away and never feared again.”
Now, Wilder is sharing her story with the world in spoken word and pen, and several of her children are likewise sharing the Gospel through the music ministry Adam’s Road—including her son Micah.
“Words cannot describe the feeling of finally knowing the Lord Jesus Christ in a way that you’ve always wanted to,” he said, becoming tearful. “Reading His word for the very first time and being washed clean by that word and understanding what his Gospel really was–that’s what changed my life. … I’ll never be the same.”
Mormon Cult Deception Method:
1. Convince you of their sincerity
2. Trick you into expressing faith first in the Book of Mormon by praying and asking for a sign (this takes you off the objective ground of Biblical truth and puts you into subjective ground of feelings - where you will have to forever remain to stay in mormonism.)
3. Convince you that the Bible has errors in its translation - though they won't tell you what is an error...
4. Trick you into expressing faith in the prophet Joseph Smith - totally based on feelings and not facts, evidence or logic
5. Trick you into expressing faith in the Restoration of the “Gospel” - totally made up need and a contradiction of the Bible's promises to the Church (see Galatians Chapter one)
6. Get you all the way into the baptismal font.............................................................
7. ONLY THEN... you will learn the true DEVIANT doctrines of
Mormonism. At this point, it is too late! You only have
feelings as a basis of truth! You will believe anything...........................................................
Such as the following “truths” taught in mormonism ...
The 3 Mormon Earth gods:
... The mormon “Heavenly Father” used to be a man, but became God. You will have to swallow that God could sin!
... The Jesus of mormonism was a created spirit being who became one of the three mormon earth gods
... The mormonic Holy Spirit is also a created spirit being. He doesn’t have a body because he is on probation! Yes, he was naughty. He sinned.... In short, the mormon earth gods are sinful, created spirit beings. But there is more...
The FOURTH Mormon Earth God (plus 5th, 6th, 7th, etc.):
...The Mormon Heavenly Mother God
Yes, sadly, believe it or not, it turns out there is a mormonic “Mother God”
... SHE and the father god have celestial sex and produce offspring continually
... SHE is eternally pregnant
... SHE pops out spirit children who will some day get a human body on earth
... SHE is probably not alone. Mormons still believe and teach eternal polygamy.The Mormonic Pantheon of gods:
... There are BILLIONS or TRILLIONS of mormon gods on other planets.
Hindus have approximately 350 million gods. They are
pikers compared to mormons.How do they get so many gods? They manufacture more all the
time:... Any mormon male can be a God with his own planet, plural mother goddesses, and spirit kids to worship him.
... Becoming a mormon god means lots of works to attain the god-level. This is why you see mormons working so hard. Now you know why.
... Speaking of levels, heaven has three levels.
... All the trillions of gods in the mormon pantheon get together regularly over spring break in Kolob Beach to “counsel together”What will your life be like as a mormon?
... you have to give 10%?
... You will give up the total sufficiency of the death of Christ for your sins and rely on your own "worthiness" - which the Bible calls "filthy rags"
... your bishop is there to ask if you gave your FULL tithe
... your bishop is also there to ask many probing, personal, embarrassing questions
... you will have to complete Masonic Temple rituals that involve strangers touching your private parts
... you will forever have to base your life on the false foundation of feelings that contradict the clear teaching of the Bible
... You will have to wear magic underwear 24/7/365Once inside the Morg, you have to accept it ALL to move up the chain towards Godhood. ... It is nothing more than a Celestial Amway Organization
THAT IS THE REAL MORMON/LDS
Take a look at the OT, the priesthood there. Then ask yourself how and to who would you deliver Peter’s letter?
You have to do some thinking for yourself.
Your ad hominem attack belies the absence of any cogent argument. That’s a bad habit of yours, characterized by your screen name.
I can't imagine that feeling any different than hatred. One difficulty bigots have is rationalizing their own bigoted behavior. You don't simply disagree with LDS doctrine, you're on a mission to destroy. That's persecution, despite you not being able to see it.
Replace every reference in this thread with Jew and it might be clearer to you.
I have not lost traction on any Biblical point. You know I am correct. The history of the Protestant Reformation isn't a new beginning, but a tweaking of Catholic Doctrine with a Biblical veneer. I've demonstrated beyond a reasonable doubt that LDS doctrine is Biblical. You and your group (to me bigots run in posses, like bullies) interpret the Bible differently. That's fine. Do so and it's your right as an American. We don't have a theocracy and aren't meant to. But you must stop lying about Mormons not being Christian or holding unbiblical beliefs.
The Trinity is not a doctrine of salvation. The earliest Church Fathers don't refer to it, but see Christ, Heavenly Father and the Holy Ghost as different and distinct entities. The Bible does the same.
Mormons are Christians. Deal with it.
“Take a look at the OT, the priesthood there. Then ask yourself how and to who would you deliver Peter’s letter?”
Are you talking about the Aaronic Priesthood? That was abolished with Christ with the change in the law (the new Covenant), with Christ as our one and only High Priest under a new Priestood, which lasts forever; and, furthermore, the Levitical Priesthood was limited to only one tribe among the Jews (Heb 7:5-24).
We are made Priests and Kings by our joining to the body of Christ — regardless of being Jews, Gentiles, men or women — who is the only High Priest and heir of God, and the True Israel, by whom we share also in the inheritance of the children of Abraham. (Gal 3:7, 1 Co 12:13).
The only way you can wrest the priesthood from the Elect is getting me to believe that no one is joined to Christ by faith, and that God does not predestinate anyone to salvation, and that Christ isn’t actually our High Priest; as well as asking me to take Mormon views as a base assumption, as well as drilling a hole in my head, so that I lose all knowledge of what the scripture teaches.
I use the Bible as a guide. I read it every day. You don’t have to use it as a guide. I made the mistake of assuming you’re a Christian. Christians use the Bible.
I never said doing nice things or being kind will get you to heaven. I prefer that in myself and people, but only the freely given grace of Jesus Christ will get you to heaven.
The entire history of the Bible, the entire story end to end, is one of continual apostasy. Jesus was born into an apostate world. He is Messiah, but not recognized by those who claim to be awaiting Messiah. Go figure?
“Your ad hominem attack belies the absence of any cogent argument. That’s a bad habit of yours, characterized by your screen name.”
Notice, though, that you can’t demonstrate anything wrong with my argument, even if you tried. It’s just that you disagree with it, so all of a sudden it’s an “ad hominem.”
That’s why Christians don’t accept Mormons as Christians, and why your own religion has, since its origins, called us all apostate. Our religions are utterly incompatible, and thank God that is so.
Jesus?
Or one stating contrasting opinions who aligns with all Mormon doctrines -- but refuses to readily identify himself as one?
For my part I'd go with Jesus. Let's see what he really says in Matt. 19:17:
Let's use the Young's Literal Translation, but you can go study it yourself in your own Bible.
17And he said to him, ‘Why me dost thou call good? no one [is] good except One — God; but if thou dost will to enter into the life, keep the commands.’ 18He saith to him, ‘What kind?’ And Jesus said, ‘Thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not commit adultery, thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not bear false witness, 19honour thy father and mother, and, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.’ 20The young man saith to him, ‘All these did I keep from my youth; what yet do I lack?’ 21Jesus said to him, ‘If thou dost will to be perfect, go away, sell what thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven, and come, follow me.’ 22And the young man, having heard the word, went away sorrowful, for he had many possessions;
So we have Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, declaring that if you want Eternal Life, you must keep the commandments. He then lists just a few.
At some point you'll have to admit you're wrong. I just hope it isn't an eternity that I have to wait.
As I've said, I am a Christian. I believe the Bible. How about you?
That was a terrible response. See my refutations. Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God and is my Lord and Savior as well. Read the Bible.
Theosis, Divinization, Deification is the oldest Christian teaching there is. See Greek Orthodox doctrine on the matter: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theosis_(Eastern_Orthodox_theology)
Or Lutheran: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Divinization_(Christian)#Protestant_views
Or Catholic: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Divinization_(Christian)#Roman_Catholicism
As a schismatic Catholic the last might be most interesting, but they all are fascinating and rarely talked about. Why not a thread on the Christian Doctrine of Theosis?
You can't handle the truth about mormonism - instead inserting a hatrid of Christian. I don't 'use' the bible 10 - I follow and apply it to my life. The ones that 'use' the bible are those who twist its contents in defense of a cult.
I found the truth in the Bible as well. I’ve done it repeatedly on this thread alone.
Does Jesus still have his body?
Where does the Bible make plain that Heavenly Father doesn’t have a body? List all examples.
Prove it was eisegesis and not just something you don’t agree with.
Were you to actually READ and apply understanding to your links - you will note that the orthodox doctrine of theosis explicitely denies that man will become (ontologically) another 'god' like mormonism likes to teach.
Intellectually dishonesty on your part 10
Excellent Jeff. God bless you and yours. Sorry you got pulled into this mess. Normally, I like to handle this kind of rubbish myself. ;-]
I mean the disinformation, not the people themselves. Godspeed my FRiend.
Can we have celestial glory without the LDS church? If not that means Joseph Smith trumps Christ and Christ died and resurrected in vain.
The LDS would say you cannot gain celestial glory outside of the LDS church, but that's because they believe that their church is the Church. The same way the Catholic Church believes it is the Mother Church and the one and only church, Lutherans, Baptists, etc. Would you really want to belong to the "We're Just Like Them, But Different Christian Church" aka Universalists or the "It's all Good Church"?
Everybody thinks they belong to the true church. Why would you knowingly belong to a false one?
The second part of your post doesn't follow from the first. That doesn't mean that Joseph Smith trumps Christ and Christ died and resurrected in vain. It simply means that you must do as Christ said, "keep the commandments." You'd say, that all you need is to believe in Jesus Christ as your personal savior. That's just as repugnant to those who believe in the Bible and Christ's call to do work in his name and keep the commandments.
Your hyperbole and lies kills your arguments and makes your conversion seem angry, not revelatory.
This is why I could not vote for a man who is a part of an “anti-christ” religion and knowing when he prays, God cannot hear.
Not very well. The Bible calls upon us to do works, yet you didn't abandon the truth of the Bible. Why?
I've asked Mormon after Mormon whether they can work their way to Heaven without the salvation and grace of Jesus Christ and they always say, "No". Why do you or did you believe when you were LDS that you could work your way to Heaven. It almost sounds like you were revolting against yourself or your own personal beliefs/misunderstanding.
"There is no controlling legal authority that says this was in violation of law." - Al Gore. Which organization on earth certifies you as Christian? Is it a simple appeal to authority or popularity?
Remember that the Christian expectation is apostasy. At no time in the Bible was God's truth in the majority. Apostasy from God's truths was and is the steady state of the world.
I've demonstrated this beyond a reasonable doubt. Do you recall the how the Pharisees ignored Christ's teachings and later the Apostles? That's apostasy. The reason God had to constantly send prophets was apostasy.
Study what I originally said. You'll understand the need for authority, God always grants it, and a formal priesthood leadership. Think about where you'd deliver Peter's letters or Paul's for that matter. To who would you give them to or speak them to?
Take your time. I understand that this is outside your current paradigm.
Finally, ad hominem means to the man. Your comment about laughing at me is to the man. It is not a logical or thoughtful refutation, but a weak appeal to the crowd. Christians look to God for validation, not men.
Come on, that’s weak, man. I apply the Bible to my life, too. The Bible’s contents point away from what you believe and that offends you. Jesus himself tells the rich young man that he must follow the commandments. If the Savior himself is misleading us then it’s game over, man.
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