Mormonism increasingly draws Spanish-speakers as converts

Arizona Daily Star ^ | March 8, 2008 | Stephanie Innes

[Zakeet]

Spanish-speakers are fueling growth in the local Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which recently opened new worship space on Tucson's predominantly Hispanic South Side.

Many local Mormon worshippers, like 47-year-old Juan Arroyo, converted to the faith from Catholicism while living in their native countries. Arroyo, a roofer who has four children, joined the church when he lived in Guadalajara, Mexico. He's been in the United States for seven years.

"I was missing something, and my life changed greatly after meeting the missionaries," he said in Spanish.

Nationally, the number of Spanish-speaking congregations in the Mormon church grew by 64 percent between 2000 and 2006. There are 639 such congregations in the United States.

[Snip]

The church is growing quickly in Mexico.

Church officials say its presence there began in 1875 when Brigham Young, then denomination president, called on six missionaries from Salt Lake City to bring Spanish-language materials about the church to Mexico. In 1885, a group of nearly 400 colonists from Utah arrived at northern Mexico's Casas Grandes River. Mexico's first stake was created in Colonia Juárez in 1895. By 1912, more than 4,000 members had settled in Chihuahua and Sonora.

More than 1 million members now live in Mexico, a predominantly Catholic country with a population of about 108 million.

[conservativegramma]

Just makes your job harder to figure which one has the true Prophet at its head.

Not at all. All we need is just one failed prophecy to prove a prophet false. And when they are false they WILL screw up. Smith and subsequent LDS prophets screwed up repeatedly. And we don't have to worry about a true prophet for we have the last one in the Book of Revelation (Rev. 22:18). Its your job that's the tough one. Because you and the rest of your LDS brothers and apologists are put into the position of continuously trying to defend the FALSE prophecies of your own leaders!

Read Deuteronomy 18:22 again - "When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, [The word 'thing' is singular, all it takes is ONE false prophecy] that is the thing [Again singular] which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him." So roy, why are you so AFRAID TO QUESTION Joseph Smith's failed prophecies???????

A sample from your scripture Doctrine & Covenants -

D. & C. 84:1-5, is a revelation given to Joseph Smith in September, 1832, in Kirtland, Ohio according to the heading. It says.."the New Jerusalem and its temple are to be built by the Mormons then living in western Missouri, 'for verily this generation shall not all pass away until an house shall be built unto the Lord.' " Geeze louise Roy, you have 170+ year old Mormons walking around there in Utah????? I say that you understand since that temple never got built! That of course means that IF this prophecy were true these folks would still be living eh Roy? Then there's that pic I posted earlier of "The Young Woman's Journal" Vol. 3 (published in 1892) by O.B. Huntington, a contemporary of Smith, referencing Smith's prophecy of 'inhabitants on the moon'. I love that one - LOL! So how much does an acre of land go for these days on the moon???? And then there's the other prophets of the LDS, such as Brigham Young -

Above is a photocopy just for you Roy! Notice here that YOUR PROPHET Brigham Young predicted the Civil War would NOT free the slaves!!! If you think that was fulfilled, I have swamp land for sale in Arizona for you. Great price!

Get it yet Roy? The LDS is false! You were snookered.

[fproy2222]

Get it yet Roy? The LDS is false! You were snookered.

+++++++++++++

So who is the true Prophet the Bible tells us to look for?

You do believe what the Bible says, don’t you?

[Godzilla]

Enough has been said about people mis representing our Prophets and others being happy with half truths, so I will ask you this.

Excuse me, the bible clearly warns us about false prophets and teachers as well as supplying a standard by which to judge and evaluate them by. If you like, we could go through smittie's prophecies one by one and see just how accurate they are/were.

So lets just cut to the quick here - are you going to tell me that all of his prophecies have come true just as he prophesied? Yes or No?

Where are the people you think are the true Prophets the Bible speaks of being sent to us?

Fair question. First bibical basis

1Co 12:28 - And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.

The order has apostles first, then prophets - reverse of mormonism FWIW. Within this list is no reference to church leadership. Paul addresses that through his discussion of appointing leadership (bishops, elders, deacons, etc)

1Co 14:29 - Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge.

This indicates that the prophets were those in the congregation - read 1 Cor in greater length in context. Thus there was more than one prophet avaible per congregation - not one prophet overall churches.

Hebrews 1:1-2 1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, 2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;

Jesus was the final prophet of the old testament mold. Yet old and new testament prophets were selected by the Holy Spirit and not man

2Pe 3:2 - That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour:

Again, prophets were the voice to the OT, in the NT the voice was Christ and the Apostles.

2Pe 2:1 - But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.

Christ in the gospels also warns to be watchful of false prophets, this is why prophecies should be judged (see above 1Co 14:29). As much as you seem to be whining about our bringing Smith's failed prophecies to light, we are commanded to do so. As a failed prophet, his other revelations from god are in the very least highly suspect.

So who are today's prophets - those chosen by the Holy Spirit to support the church(s) they are in to edify the body and not lead it.

[Godzilla]

Is there a difference?

To a mormon there might be.

[conservativegramma]

Every place it tells you to be careful of false prophets, it does not say anything about “no” Prophets. You were warned this way because their are to be true Prophets.

Actually the Bible does say there was a last prophecy in these last days. The Book of Revelation was it. No more, zip, nada after that. Revelation 22:18 -

"I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book [Revelation]: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book;

No new prophecies roy. ZIPPO. Anyone claiming to present new ones or claiming prophet hood today in 2008 are deceivers and you've been snookered.

[Godzilla]

Just makes your job harder to figure which one has the true Prophet at its head.

There, I bolded your comment. If you don't understand it, talk to yourself :)

[conservativegramma]

So who is the true Prophet the Bible tells us to look for? You do believe what the Bible says, don’t you?

Nope. Revelation 22:18 begs to differ.

[fproy2222]

Notice here that YOUR PROPHET Brigham Young predicted the Civil War would NOT free the slaves!!! If you think that was fulfilled, I have swamp land for sale in Arizona for you. Great price!

+++++++++++++++++

I lived in the south during the 60’s and 70,s.

Yes, the blacks had been “freed”.

Yet, if you called what the blacks lived under as freedom, then you care more about being an anti-mormon, then you care about the truth.

[Godzilla]

You say that leaving something out of one version and having it in another is proof it is false. (Paul did this)

Leaving something out of one account but including it in another does not falsify the overall story, as long as it doesn't contradict the account. In Smitties case, I'll ask you again - based upon MORMON documents Smittie was personally involved in publishing regarding the first visitation was he: 14, 15 or 17 yrs old
Was it a)in the woods b) in his bedroom or c) who knows
Who visited him a)an angel b) Jesus only c) both Jesus and the father

Conflicting testamony like the above indicates falsehood. Nothing 'added' or left out to it.

[fproy2222]

smittie’s

++++++++++

To me, this shows that you care about being an anti-mormon the a preacher of God's word.

[Godzilla]

smittie’s
++++++++++
To me, this shows that you care about being an anti-mormon the a preacher of God's word.

Show to me that you cannot deal with the facts I've presented from mormon documents. Which of the three versions of smith's vision should I believe and why shouldn't I believe the others?

[P-Marlowe]

Get it yet Roy? The LDS is false! You were snookered.

One thing about Fred is that he does not apply the same scrutiny to the LDS church that he claims he did to the Christian Church that he claims he left. He is willing to strain at a gnat when it comes to challenging the claims of Christian Churches, but he has swallowed a Camel when it comes to the LDS Church.

IMHO, he is completely without any objectivity in his analysis. You can point to all the false prophecies and lies that the LDS Church has told over the last 170 years and nothing will phase him. But if there is a disagreement among us Christians as to the meaning of some obscure passage of scripture, he's all over it like white on rice as some kind of evidence that we don't have any general agreement as to our theology.

The fact is that we all come from different Christian traditions, but in the essentials we are all in agreement. And in regard to the nature of God, we are all in full agreement and we all agree that the Mormon concept of God is foreign to all of Christendom, which means that they are NOT a Christian religion.

We all agree on that.

[fproy2222]

Christ in the gospels also warns to be watchful of false prophets, this is why prophecies should be judged (see above 1Co 14:29). As much as you seem to be whining about our bringing Smith's failed prophecies to light, we are commanded to do so. As a failed prophet, his other revelations from god are in the very least highly suspect.

So who are today's prophets - those chosen by the Holy Spirit to support the church(s) they are in to edify the body and not lead it.

+++++++++++++++++++++++

Let us look at a couple you left out, that Brother Joesph did experience.

(1 John 4:2-3.)

2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:

3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

Ps.

Since your Bible says there will be true Prophets, where are they?

[P-Marlowe]

Yet, if you called what the blacks lived under as freedom, then you care more about being an anti-mormon, then you care about the truth.

Nice dodge.

The prophecy was false.

Get over it.

[fproy2222]

Actually the Bible does say there was a last prophecy in these last days. The Book of Revelation was it. No more, zip, nada after that. Revelation 22:18 -

“I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book [Revelation]: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book;

No new prophecies roy. ZIPPO. Anyone claiming to present new ones or claiming prophet hood today in 2008 are deceivers and you've been snookered.

+++++++++++++=

First off, you have to choose which of mans teachings that puts a date the writing of Revelations.

Second, you have to decide which of mans teachings as to weather this is only about the book of Revelations, or the whole of the cannon of scriptures.

Third, if you believe it has to do with all of the cannon of the Bible, you must believe the men who got together and decided what was part oft it must be prophets.

Fourth, there is something said like that in one of the books in the old testament. If it is true for Revelations, it would also have been true then, making part of the OT and all of the NT as false.

[fproy2222]

There, I bolded your comment. If you don't understand it, talk to yourself :)

+++++++++++++++

Your Bible says too look for true Prophets, and you say there is none.

[fproy2222]

So who is the true Prophet the Bible tells us to look for? You do believe what the Bible says, don’t you?

+=+=+
Nope. Revelation 22:18 begs to differ.

+++++++++++++=

You seem to have found one of those places the Bible does not agree with itself, as studied by man.

[bonfire]

I’m “getting” where you come from now.

Very loud and clear.

Keep posting......

[Tennessee Nana]

you are happy with only the half truths the antis give you.
_______________________________________________

So the Jesus Christ of the Bible is an “anti” (something) who gives me half-truths ???

Fred, someone who would say that about the Son of God has some serious ‘splainin’ to do when them meet Jesus at the judgement...

[conservativegramma]

I lived in the south during the 60’s and 70,s.

Yes, the blacks had been “freed”.

Yet, if you called what the blacks lived under as freedom, then you care more about being an anti-mormon, then you care about the truth.
____________________________________________________________

I see you were unable to excuse away the facts so you throw out a smoke screen argument in a desperate attempt to obfuscate and deflect away from the proof of these false prophecies. Nice going. That’s okay I understand you’re squirming in your boots right about now. You’re desperate. That’s apparent from the many posts you’ve put out — the Holy Spirit is working on you, I can tell. So, I’ll keep praying He’ll be able to remove the blinders Satan has put on you in the meantime.

BTW: I lived in the south in the 60’s too Roy. No sell. Whatever the hardships and trials endured during that time period is in no way to be compared to the conditions of actual slavery -— shame on you for even trying to compare the 2! You are really straining here Roy trying to excuse your own leaders false prophecies. That speaks for itself. So don’t go lecturing me about ‘truth’, you wouldn’t know truth if it came up and bit you on the rear end.