Yeah!
That's the ticket!
I've arranged these quotes & many other Mormon leader quotes topically
Who are the Christians, and what is Christianity, per Mormonism?
An 'Interview' Across the Generations with the mouthpieces of the Mormon god, the Lds 'prophets' and 'apostles':
Questions Re: the gods of Mormonism and Christianity: Distinct or same?
Q. Who is the Christian Jesus?
A. Lds "apostle" Bruce McConkie: ...virtually ALL the millions of apostate Christendom have abased themselves before the mythical throne of a mythical Christ whom they vainly suppose to be a spirit essence who is incorporeal uncreated, immaterial and three-in-one with the Father and Holy Spirit" (Mormon Doctrine, p.269).
Q. Do Mormons worship the same Jesus as do Christians?
* Lds "prophet" Gordon B. Hinckley: “There are 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.” (LDS Church News, June 20, 1998)
* Hinckley: As a Church we have critics, many of them. They say we do not believe in the traditional Christ of Christianity. There is some substance to what they say. Our faith, our knowledge is not based on ancient tradition, the creeds which came of a finite understanding and out of the almost infinite discussions of men trying to arrive at a definition of the risen Christ. Our faith, our knowledge comes of the witness of a prophet in this dispensation who saw before him the great God of the universe and His Beloved Son, the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ. ("We Look to Christ", April 2002 General Conference.)
* Official Lds publication The Ensign “It is true that many of the Christian churches worship a different Jesus Christ than is worshipped by the Mormons.” (May 1977, p. 26)
Q: Who is the Christian God?
A: Lds "prophet" Brigham Young: The "Christian God is the Mormon's Devil..." (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 5, p. 331).
* Lds "apostle" Bruce McConkie: "The gods of Christendom, for instance, are gods who were created by men in the creeds of an apostate people. There is little profit or peace in serving them, and certainly there is no salvation available through them" (A New Witness for the Articles of Faith, pg.545).
Q. Do Mormons worship the same god as Christians?
A. Lds director of church's Melchizedek priesthood department, William O. Nelson: "Some who write anti-Mormon pamphlets insist that the Latter-day Saint concept of Deity is contrary to what is recognized in traditional Chrisitan doctrine. In this they are quite correct." (A Sure Foundation: Answers to Difficult Gospel Questions, p. 93)
* Lds "apostle" Charles W. Penrose: “…the God whom the ‘Christians’ worship is a being of their own creation…” (Journal of Discourses 23:243).
* Lds general authority B.H. Roberts: “…orthodox Christian views of God are Pagan rather than Christian.” (Mormon Doctrine of Deity, p.116).
Questions re: What is the Devil's role and association with the Christian church per Mormonism?
Q. Who inspires Christians?
A. Joseph Smith: "What is it that inspires professors of Christianity generally with a hope of salvation? It is that smooth, sophisticated influence of the devil, by which he deceives the whole world" (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p.270).
* Joseph Smith, Jr.: “…all the priests who adhere to the sectarian religions of the day with all their followers, without one exception, receive their portion with the devil and his angels.” (The Elders Journal, Joseph Smith Jr., editor, vol.1, no.4, p.60).
Q. Where did Christianity -- whatever its form between 100 & 200 AD -->19th century -- originate?
A. Lds "apostle"-turned-"prophet" John Taylor, who was with Joseph Smith when Smith died: Christianity was "hatched in hell" (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 6, page 176)...
* Lds "prophet" 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 then kicked on to the earth.” (Journal of Discourses 6:176).
* Taylor: Christianity...is a perfect pack of nonsense...the devil could not invent a better engine to spread his work than the Christianity of the nineteenth century," (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 6, p.167);
Q. Who is classified as part of the "church of the devil" according to the Book of Mormon?
A. BYU professor Kent B. Jackson: "Since whoever does not belong to 'the church of the Lamb of God' belongs to 'the church of the devil,' as Nephi announced then all systems of worship outside of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints would be classified as 'the church of the devil' by Nephi's definition (Kent B. Jackson, "Watch and Remember" etc. from publication By Study and Also by Faith: Essays in Honor of Hugh W. Nibley on the Occasion of His Eightieth Birthday, 3/27/90, vol. 1, p. 87, citing 1 Nephi 14:9-10 from the Book of Mormon)
Q. What is the church of the devil in our day?
A. Lds "apostle" Bruce R. McConkie: "What is the church of the devil in our day, and where is the seat of her power?.... It is ALL of the systems, both Christian and non-Christian, that perverted the pure and perfect gospel....It is communism; it is Islam; it is Buddhism; it is modern Christianity in all its parts. It is Germany under Hitler, Russia under Stalin, and Italy under Mussolini." (The Millennial Messiah, pp. 54-55.)
* Lds "apostle" Bruce R. McConkie: "The church of the devil is the world; it is all the carnality and evil to which fallen man is heir; it is every unholy and wicked practice; it is every false religion, every supposed system of salvation which does not actually save and exalt man in the highest heaven of the celestial world. It is every church except the true church, whether parading under a Christian or a pagan banner." (Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 3:551)
Q. This last comment of yours? Is that still taught by the official Mormon church in its official curricula in official Institute classes to college students?
Q. So you're saying that...
A.McConkie: "...the great apostate church as the anti-christ...This great antichrist...is the church of the devil." (Apostle Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine p.40)
Questions Re: How is Christ's church described as it pertains to Mormons and Christians. Questions of legitimacy and authority.
Q. While we all know not every member of a Christian church is a true Christian, what difference is there between Christians in Christian churches and Mormons who reference themselves as 'Christians?'
A. 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 10:230).
Q: Do LDS considers themselves one legitimate church among many?
Lds "apostle" Bruce R. McConkie: "Mormonism is Christianity; Christianity is Mormonism; they are one and the same, and they are not to be distinguished from each other in the minutest detail ...Mormons are true Christians; their worship is the pure, unadulterated Christianity authored by Christ and accepted by Peter, James, and John and all the ancient saints." (Mormon Doctrine, p. 513).
Q: Does that mean if all Mormons are Christians then all Christians are Mormons. Is that right?
A: (You weren't listening...I 'just' answered that:) Lds "prophet" 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 10:230.)
Q. Is the Mormon church the only true church then? Are all the other ones false?
A. Lds "prophet" Joseph Smith: "This [the LDS] Church...is the ONLY only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth" (Doctrine and Covenants 1:30).
* Lds "prophet" Ezra Taft Benson, who served in the Eisenhower administration: "This is not just another Church. This is not just one of a family of Christian churches. This is the Church and kingdom of God, the only true Church upon the face of the earth..." (Teachings of LDS prophet Ezra Taft Benson, p.164-165).
* Lds "apostle"-turned-"prophet" John Taylor: "And who is there that acknowledges [God's] hand?… You may wander east, west, north, and south, and you cannot find it in any church or government on the earth, except the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints" (Journal of Discourses 6:24).
* Lds "prophet' Spencer W. Kimball: "This is the only true church ...This is not a church. This is the Church of Jesus Christ. There are churches of men all over the land and they have great cathedrals, synagogues, and other houses of worship running into the hundreds of millions of dollars. They are churches of men. They teach the doctrines of men, combined with the philosophies and ethics and other ideas and ideals that men have partly developed and partly found in sacred places and interpreted for themselves" (Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, p. 421).
Questions Re: Does salvation exist outside Joseph Smith & the Mormon church?
Q. So unless I join the Mormon church -- or unless the Mormon church necro-baptizes me -- I cannot be saved?
A. Lds "apostle" Bruce McConkie: This Church is the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth .... there is NO salvation outside the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. (Mormon Doctrine, p. 670)
* "The only organization authorized by the Almighty to preach his gospel and administer the ordinances of salvation, the only Church which has power to save" (Mormon Doctrine; 1977 ed, p. 136).
Q. Well, then is Jesus the Savior -- and He can people no matter what church they are in at the time? Isn't He the way, the truth and the life per John 14:6?
A. President (member of the First Presidency) Marion G. Romney: "This Church is the ensign on the mountain spoken of by the Old Testament prophets. It is the way, the truth, and the life" (Conference Report, April, 1961, p. 119)]
* "We cannot accept that any other church can lead its members to salvation." (The Masters Church, Course A, Mormon Sunday School text.)
Q. 'Will everybody be damned, but Mormons?" [This is the literal Q asked of Joseph Smith...with his direct answer below]
A. Lds "prophet" Joseph Smith: 'Yes, and a great portion of them, unless they repent, and work righteousness." (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 119).
* Lds "apostle" Bruce McConkie: “Believers in the doctrines of modern Christendom will reap damnation to their souls." (Mormon Doctrine, p.177)
* Lds "prophet" Joseph Fielding Smith: "...no salvation without accepting Joseph Smith. If Joseph Smith was verily a prophet, and if he told the truth...no man can reject that testimony without incurring the most dreadful consequences, for he cannot enter the kingdom of God" (Doctrines of Salvation, vol. 1, p.190).
Questions Re: The so-called 'apostasy' and vile associative words to describe the Christian church.
Q. What then, are the rest of the churches? Apostates? Did they bring light to the world?
A.Lds "prophet" Joseph Fielding Smith (10th LDS President) -- "For hundreds of years the world was wrapped in a veil of spiritual darkness, until there was not one fundamental truth belonging to the place of salvation that was not, in the year 1820, so obscured by false tradition and ceremonies, borrowed from paganism, as to make it unrecognizable; or else it was entirely denied ...Joseph Smith declared that in the year 1820 the Lord revealed to him that ALL the `Christian' churches were in error, teaching for commandments the doctrines of men" (Doctrines of Salvation 3:282).
* Lds "prophet" Joseph Fielding Smith: "Apostasy was universal...And this darkness still prevails except among those who have come to a knowledge of the restored gospel" (Doctrines of Salvation, vol 3, p. 265).
* Lds "apostle" Bruce McConkie: "Thus the signs of the times include the prevailing apostate darkness in the sects of Christendom and in the religious world in general" (The Millennial Messiah, p.403).
* Lds "prophet" Brigham Young: "when the light came to me I saw that ALL the so-called Christian world was grovelling in darkness" (Journal of Discourses 5:73).
* "a perverted Christianity holds sway among the so-called Christians of apostate Christendom" (Mormon Doctrine, p.132).
Q. Come on now. Cant't we at least commend some of the teachings of the Christian church as "truth" and "light" to the world?
A. Lds "prophet" Brigham Young: "With a regard to true theology, a more ignorant people never lived than the present so-called Christian world" (Journal of Discourses 8:199)
* Young: "The Christian world, so-called, are heathens as to the knowledge of the salvation of God" (Journal of Discourses 8:171);
* Young: "What! Are Christians ignorant? Yes, as ignorant of the things of God as the brute beast." (Journal of Discourses 6:25).
* Lds "apostle" Bruce McConkie: "In large part the worship of apostate Christendom is performed in ignorance, as much so as was the worship of the Athenians who bowed before the Unknown God, and to whom Paul said: "Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you" (Mormon Doctrine, p. 374).
Q. When the so-called Great Apostasy hit the early Christian church, would you say the Christian church was still better off then -- or 17 centuries later?
A. Lds "apostle" Orson Pratt: "This great apostasy commenced about the close of the first century of the Christian era, and it has been waxing worse and worse from then until now" (Journal of Discourses, vol.18, p.44)
Q. What if it was determined not ALL of the churches apostatized before 1830? What's the significance of that?
A. Official Lds church statement: “The Lord provided that salvation should come through his gospel, functioning through his church…But is there such a church?…Is there such a church upon the earth? Until 1830 there was not. It had been lost through the falling away we have described in this pamphlet. In 1830 the Almighty restored his church to earth again.” (Which Church is Right?, p. 17).
* Lds "apostle" James Talmadge: "The significance and importance of the great apostasy, as a condition precedent to the re-establishment of the Church in modern times, is obvious. If the alleged apostasy of the primitive Church was not a reality, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is not the divine institution its name proclaims" (The Great Apostasy, preface).
* A. Lds "prophet" Joseph Fielding Smith (10th LDS President) -- "For hundreds of years the world was wrapped in a veil of spiritual darkness, until there was not one fundamental truth belonging to the place of salvation that was not, in the year 1820, so obscured by false tradition and ceremonies, borrowed from paganism, as to make it unrecognizable; or else it was entirely denied ...Joseph Smith declared that in the year 1820 the Lord revealed to him that ALL the `Christian' churches were in error, teaching for commandments the doctrines of men" (Doctrines of Salvation 3:282).
Q. So you're saying the apostasy of the Christians and Christian churches was complete? Universal?
A. Lds general authority B.H. Roberts: "Nothing less than a complete apostasy from the Christian religion would warrant the establishment of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints" (Introduction to the History of the Church 1:XL).
* "This is a fundamental belief of the Latter-day Saints. If there had not been an apostasy, there would have been no need for a restoration." (Kent P. Jackson, Ensign, Dec 1984 Early Signs of the Apostasy)
* Lds "apostle" James Talmadge: "A self-suggesting interpretation of history indicates that there has been a great departure from the way of salvation as laid down by the Savior, a universal apostasy from the Church of Christ ...From the facts already stated it is evident that the Church was literally driven from the earth; in the first ten centuries immediately following the ministry of Christ the authority of the Holy Priesthood was lost among men, and no human power could restore it" (The Articles of Faith, pp.200,203).
* Official Lds church manual: “The period of time when the true Church no longer existed on earth is called the Great Apostasy. Soon pagan beliefs dominated the thinking of those called Christians. The Roman emperor adopted this false Christianity as the state religion. The church was very different from the Church Jesus organized. It taught that God was a being without substance" (Gospel Principles, 2009, p.92).
* Lds "apostle" Orson Pratt: "But as there has been no Christian Church on the earth for a great many centuries past, until the present century, the people have lost sight of the pattern that God has given according to which the Christian Church should be established, and they have denominated a great variety of people Christian Churches, because they profess to be ...But there has been a long apostasy, during which the nations have been cursed with apostate churches in great abundance, and they are represented in the revelations of St. John as a woman sitting upon a scarlet colored beast, having a golden cup in her hand, full of filthiness and abominations, full of the wine of the wrath of her fornication; that in her forehead there was a name written - `Mystery, Babylon the Great, the mother of harlots'" (Journal of Discourses 18:172).
Q. Go ahead and let it out. How do you really feel about Christians?
A. Lds "apostle" Orson Pratt: "Both Catholics and Protestants are nothing less than the 'whore of Babylon' whom the Lord denounces by the mouth of John the Revelator as having corrupted all the earth by their fornications and wickedness. Any person who shall be so corrupt as to receive a holy ordinance of the Gospel from the ministers of any of these apostate churches will be sent down to hell with them, unless they repent" (The Seer, p. 255).
Q. Oh. Can you define "whore" or "harlot" for us, as applied to the Christian church?
A. Lds "apostle" Bruce McConkie: "Harlots. See Church of the Devil, Sex Immorality. Literally a harlot is a prostitute; figuratively it is ANY apostate church. Nephi, speaking of harlots in the literal sense and while giving a prophetic description of the Catholic Church, recorded that he 'saw the devil that he was the foundation of it.' ... Then speaking of harlots in the figurative sense, he designated the Catholic Church as 'the mother of harlots' (1 Nephi 13:34; 14:15-17), a title which means that the protestant churches, the harlot daughters which broke off from the great and abominable church, would themselves be apostate churches." (Mormon Doctrine, pp. 314-315, 1958 edition)
* Lds "apostle"-turned-"prophet" John Taylor: "'The present Christian world exists and continues by division. The MYSTERY of Babylon the great, is mother of harlots and abominations of the earth, and it needs no prophetic vision, to unravel such mysteries. The old church is the mother, and the protestants are the lewd daughters. Alas! alas! what doctrine, what principle, or what scheme, in all, what prayers, what devotion, or what faith, `since the fathers have fallen asleep,' has opened the heavens; has brought men into the presence of God; and to the spirits of just men made perfect, and to an innumerable company of angels? The answer is, not any: "There is none in all christendom that doeth good; no, not one."' (Times and Seasons, Vol.6, No.1, p.811, Feb. 15, 1845)
Q. So it's from the Book of Mormon that this Mormon "apostle" derived this connection of "harlot" to the Christian church?
A. * "abominable church...whore of all the earth" (2 Nephi 28:18);
* "whore of all the earth" (2 Nephi 10:16)
* ”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. And it came to pass that I looked and beheld the whore of all the earth, and she sat upon many waters; and she had dominion over all the earth, among all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people...their dominions upon the face of the earth were small because of the wickedness of the great whore whom I saw.” (1 Nephi 14:10-12)
* George Q. Cannon, member of First Presidency with four different Lds "prophets": "AFTER the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was organized, there were only two churches upon the earth. They were known respectively as the Church of the Lamb of God and Babylon. The various organizations which are called churches throughout Christendom, though differing in their creeds and organizations, have one common origin. They all belong to Babylon" (Gospel Truth, pg.324).
Questions Re: Adherence to the Bible
Q. "Do you believe the Bible?
A. Lds "prophet" Joseph Smith: "'If we do, we are the only people under heaven that does, for there are none of the religious sects of the day that do'. (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 119).
* Lds "apostle" Bruce McConkie: “the various versions of the Bible do not accurately record or perfectly preserve the words, thoughts, and interests of the original inspired authors.” (Mormon Doctrine, 2nd ed., p.383.)
Q. Is this the official teaching of the Lds church?
A. “The Church [the LDS Church] reveres and respects the Bible, but recognises that it is not a complete nor entirely accurate record…” (Holy Bible, King James Version. Located at the back of the LDS KJV of the Bible, p. 624).
* Lds "apostle" McConkie in official Lds church magazine, The Ensign: “The Bible of the Old World has come to us from the manuscripts of antiquity – manuscripts which passed through the hands of uninspired men who changed many parts to suit their own doctrinal ideas. Deletions were common, and, as it now stands, many plain and precious portions and many covenants of the Lord have been lost. As a consequence, those who rely upon it alone stumble and are confused…” (“Come: Hear the Voice of the Lord,” The Ensign, December 1985, p 55).
Q. What else did you claim in that original "vision" of yours, Joseph?
A. Lds "prophet" Joseph Smith: "...for the teachers of religion of the different sects understood the same passages of scripture so differently as to destroy all confidence in settling the question by an appeal to the Bible" (Pearl of Great Price, Joseph Smith-History v. 12).
Q. Doesn't the Book of Mormon link a historical church to be one that exercises censorship of the Bible?
A. Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi 13:32: ..."parts of the gospel kept back by that abominable church”
Questions Re: accusations of Christian creeds and Christian church as an "abomination."
Q. Joseph Smith, you seemed to like that word "abomination." Isn't it used eight times in just three Book of Mormon chapters (1 Nephi 13, 14, 22)? How is that all linked to the Christian church, Christian sects, and what you have claimed about them?
A.Lds "prophet" Joseph Smith: 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." (Pearl of Great Price, Joseph Smith History -- vv. 18-19)
* Book of Mormon: "great and abominable church" (1 Nephi 13:6; 2 Nephi 6:12);
* Joseph Smith, Doctrine & Covenants: "abominable church" (D&C 29:21)
* Joseph Smith, Doctrine & Covenants: "...great church, the mother of abominations" (D&C 88:94).
"Christians - those poor, miserable priests Brother Brigham was speaking about - some of them are the biggest whoremasters there are on the earth ..." (Journal of Discourses 5:89).
How can he say that with out thinking of Joseph Smith and his hanky panky with married women? What about booty chasing Brigham? Do Mormons not know the history of these men?
Truely an overwhelming picture of lds teachings and doctrines toward Christianity from its inception to today. Astounding.
Yeah!
That's the ticket!
Attacks on the Christian Churches
“We don’t bash your church, why bash ours?”
For those Mormons who say their church “never attacks other churches.”
1. “I was answered that I must join none of them (Christian churches), for they were all wrong…their creeds were an abomination in [God’s] sight; that those professors were all corrupt” (Joseph Smith—History 1:19).
2. “Orthodox Christian views of God are pagan rather than Christian” (Mormon Doctrine of Deity, B. H. Roberts [General Authority], 116).
3. “Are Christians ignorant? Yes, as ignorant of the things of God as the brute beast” (Journal of Discourses, John Taylor [3rd Mormon President], 13:225).
4. “The Roman Catholic, Greek, and Protestant church, is the great corrupt, ecclesiastical power, represented by great Babylon” (Orson Pratt, Writings of an Apostle, Orson Pratt, n. 6, 84).
5. “All the priests who adhere to the sectarian [Christian] religions of the day with all their followers, without one exception, receive their portion with the devil and his angels” (The Elders Journal, Joseph Smith, ed. Vol. 1, n. 4, 60).
6. [Under the heading, “Church of the Devil,” Apostle Bruce R. McConkie lists:] “The Roman Catholic Church specifically—singled out, set apart, described, and designated as being ‘most abominable above all other churches’ (I Ne. 13:5)” (Mormon Doctrine, 1958, 129).
7. “Believers in the doctrines of modern Christendom will reap damnation to their souls (Morm. 8; Moro. 8)” (Mormon Doctrine, 1966, Bruce R. McConkie, 177).
8. President Wilford Woodruff stated: “the Gospel of modern Christendom shuts up the Lord, and stops all communication with Him. I want nothing to do with such a Gospel, I would rather prefer the Gospel of the dark ages, so called” (Journal of Discourses, vol. 2, p.196).
9. President George Q. Cannon said: “After the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was organized, there were only two churches upon the earth. They were known respectively as the Church of the Lamb of God and Babylon. The various organizations which are called churches throughout Christendom, though differing in their creeds and organizations, have one common origin. They all belong to Babylon” (Gospel Truth, p.324).
10. “virtually all the millions of apostate Christendom have abased themselves before the mythical throne of a mythical Christ whom they vainly suppose to be a spirit essence who is incorporeal uncreated, immaterial and three-in-one with the Father and Holy Spirit” (Bruce McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, p.269);
Except for the the first two sentences....I thought maybe Godzilla wrote this?
Amazing.....WOW!!
Obviously, if Latter-day Saints claim to be the true church restored by Jesus Christ (which I believe), then we would consider that there is error in all other faiths.
That doesn’t mean that we don’t see that there is value and truth in them. We have much in common with people of all faiths, and I see no reason not to be friends with other Christians and non-Christians because of differences in religious belief and practice.
If someone wants to discuss my faith and talk about our differences like adults, fine. I am more than happy to do that, but I’m not going to spend my time criticizing another person’s religious beliefs because they differ from mine.
I say to anyone who is not of my faith let’s enjoy the blessings of religious freedom, treat each other with common decency and be friends.
Regards,
Normandy
If you peruse the Free Republic religion forums you will notice a pattern. There's an anti-Mormon group of people here that spends a great deal of their time attacking the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. They post regurgitated propaganda on an almost daily basis.
They have a misguided obsession. You can witness many different tactics employed that you might find quite interesting. The straw man argument is a big favorite and is frequently preceded by cherry-picking quotes or other material. After the "quotation" the attacker will misrepresent what has been said or what was meant and then attack their own interpretation.Later they will have the audacity to claim they were "only" quoting our own material.
They will of course insist ad nauseum that they are merely using our sources and are therefore innocent of any deceptive practice. LDS persons have no issue whatsoever having our scriptures or leaders quoted as long as it is presented fairly and accurately. This is rarely (if ever) done.
Another favorite is posting scripture or statements which on their own really present no dilemma. They make something out of nothing while never bringing up a single objection that hasn't been addressed a hundred times before.
You might note a couple of other tactics used to try to antagonize is the use of disrespectful or insulting terms or language and/or pictures. That's a Christlike thing to do right? Yeah I don't think so either. It does speak volumes about them though.
Sometimes they cruise the headlines of the day seeking any story that might be twisted into making the Church look bad. Anything will do, just watch the progression of posts following it and see what I mean.
After reading their posts, I invite you to seek the truth about whatever "issue" they seem to be "revealing" or "exposing". I promise that if you do so with honest intent, the "ahah" moments you will have will be many and frequent. You will start to recognize the tactics employed to cleverly twist and attack and will likely chuckle the more you see. In actuality, there's nothing new here. It's all been addressed many times before.
The latest twist in the anti-Mormon propaganda machine is to actually go to the links provided, but then they cherry pick what they want, then quote and straw man attack that. Clever. It almost appears that they are helping you, the seeker of truth out by doing some footwork for you. Not so much. Don't be insulted, look for yourself. It's not the haystack they want you to think.
Here's a few links to get your started from a different viewpoint. I have found that the vast majority of the "issues" brought up can be found and addressed at http://www.fairlds.org/ but here's more:
http://scriptures.lds.org/
http://www.lds.org
http://www.fairlds.org/
http://www.mormonapologetics.org/
http://www.mormonwiki.com/Main_Page
http://www.lightplanet.com/response/index.html
http://www.jefflindsay.com/LDS_Intro.shtml
http://www.answeringantimormons.com/index.htm
http://promormon.blogspot.com/
Now you will likely notice the "you never address our points" posts pop up as usual. All after providing the answers just as you have here.
Sometimes it is claimed that these sites present a needle in a haystack. Far from it. But if you give up before you try you won't know will you?
Will you wear blinders too? Seek truth. Find out for yourself. Want to chat with someone on any topic? A few of these sites provide just that. So do your homework sincere seeker of truth. Listen and read from both "sides". Make up your own mind.
I witness to you of these truths and wish you the best, in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
