Mormon Lies that can blind us

Mormon Chapbook ^ | Mike Tea

[delacoert]

In our conversations with Mormons we are bound to test what they believe about key issues and how they stand on things we might have heard about Mormonism. It pays to know that it is easy for a Mormon, on the pretext of giving you “milk before meat”, or simply because they don’t know their own faith very well, to be disingenuous in their answers. Here are a few typical “answers” on key subjects:

GOD

“We believe in the same God as you. ‘We believe in God the eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost’(Mormon First Article of Faith)” 

Although it has the appearance of a Trinitarian confession this does not come close to what Mormons believe about God. Joseph Smith, the founding prophet of Mormonism, said: 

"God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man…It is the first principle of the Gospel to know for a certainty the Character of God…and that he was once a man like us…and you have got to learn to be Gods yourselves…the same as all Gods before you." (King Follett Discourse)

THE BIBLE

“Of course we trust and believe in the Bible” This, again, is a disingenuous answer. The Eighth Article of faith of Mormonism declares: 

"We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God" 

The Bible is the only book of Scripture in Mormonism that is regarded as unreliable and its content is only respected so far as it appears to confirm the Mormon message. The message of Mormonism, such as their teaching on the nature of God, is brought to the Bible and if the Bible does not agree then it is the Bible that is considered wanting. While the Book of Mormon is considered the book of the restoration the Bible is regarded as the book of the apostasy.

OTHER CHURCHES

“We are Christians and respect other Christian denominations. We would never attack other churches as some attack us.” The Book of Mormon however declares: 

"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 and abominable church, which is the mother of abominations; and she is the whore of all the earth" (1 Nephi 14:10) 

There doesn’t appear to be any room for “other denominations” here and it might be worthwhile asking a Mormon which church they think you belong to. Certainly, anyone who has studied Mormonism knows that it is founded on harsh and uncompromising attacks on other churches. In his official history Joseph Smith uncompromisingly declared that God said of other churches:

“All their creeds were an abomination in his sight; that those professors were all corrupt; that: ‘the draw near 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, 1:19)

It seems Mormonism “doesn’t play well with others” despite their protestations to the contrary.

POLYGAMY

“Of course Mormons aren’t polygamists. We renounced polygamy in the nineteenth century and those who practice it today have nothing to do with us.” 

Two things worthy of note: 

1. Polygamy is still an integral part of Mormon Scripture. Mormons might argue that the practice of circumcision is part of Christian Scripture but is no longer practised. This is comparing apples and oranges because circumcision was a mark of the Old Covenant, which was superseded by baptism under the New Covenant in Jesus Christ. Polygamy, however, is taught as an eternal principle and regarded as the order of heaven. It is described as the “new and everlasting covenant”: 

"And again, verily, I say unto you, if a man marry a wife by my word, which is my law, and by the new and everlasting covenant…they shall pass by the angels, and the gods, which are set there, to their exaltation. Then shall they be gods." (D&C 132) 

The reference to Mormons becoming gods by the “new and everlasting covenant” is instructive in light of what we have already seen of the teaching that men become gods. While the familiar Salt Lake City Mormons do not currently practise polygamy, it seems it will be reinstated, if not in this life then in glory.

It seems that the polygamist groups currently denounced and disowned by SLC Mormons are just keeping the practice warm for the day when all Mormons return to the principle. Meanwhile it is not uncommon for a SLC Mormon male to be “sealed” to more than one wife in the next life while practicing monogamy in this.

It does seem less than honest to deny liability when the very texts that teach polygamy still form an integral part of Mormon “Scripture”.

There is a curious irony in the fact that the familiar SLC Mormons have much in common with breakaway polygamist groups and yet they deny any family connections, instead trying at every turn to associate with the Evangelical Christian Church, with which Mormons have nothing in common.

[Jen Shroder]

37 He answered and said to them: “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. 39 The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. 40 Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. 41 The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, 42 and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear! Matthew 13
____________________

I’m sure the angels are going as God directs though, but they are doing the work

[Tennessee Nana]

if the foundation is Christ
__________________________________________

THer LORD Jesus Christ who is God is the foundation for the Chrsitians...

The savior and foundation for the mormons, or LDS and fLDS, is Joseph Smith Jr born in Vermont in 1805 and a occultist, “money digger” child rapist, adulterer, bank frauder and false prophet...

[Tennessee Nana]

What is there about the Mormon church that denies the glory and power of Jesus Christ?
________________________________________________

The giving of that power and glory to Joey Smith...

[Jen Shroder]

Thanks Tennessee

and to everyone correcting me

I just kind of have to hear it from a Mormon though.

I’ve talked to Mormons some and I never got the impression that they didn’t believe Christ died for our sins. If they don’t, then, they would have to be trying to hide that, and if they’re trying to hide that, then, well, how can anyone be part of a religion that tries to hide what they believe?

Anyway, thanks for all the input, I’ve learned a lot, I just need to confirm it. Big news to me.

[delacoert]

Christian believers have a lot of 'made up stuff' in their 'religions' as well.

Please be specific. What are the things that are "made up stuff" that WE Christians believe?

[UCANSEE2]

Everyone else on this thread is stating opinion, why would you think I’m not?

The point about blonde hair and blue eyes was exaggerated, but we all ‘know’ what the common artists conception, and used in churches all over the U.S. looks like. Most portray Jesus as an ANGLO-SAXON looking human. Do you think that’s really what he looked like?

How many ‘Christians’ still believe Jesus was a ‘Christian’?

[delacoert]

Those details are not what's important anyway. It's the CONCEPTS put forth that GOD is trying to 'reveal' to us.

Details? Which details? You haven't said anything specific yet.

Please provide examples of what's important.

[Tennessee Nana]

I’ll look it up but I’m real sure it’s there
________________________________________

Yes you do that

and please give the source when quoting the Christian Bible...

[aMorePerfectUnion]

Dear Mormons who may be reading this thread and are embarrassed by the links posted endlessly by self-styled “defender mormons”,

If you peruse the Free Republic religion forums you will notice a pattern. There’s a group of Christians who spend a great deal of time posting from Official Mormon Sources - both the Book of Mormon as well as Mormon Prophets and Church materials - real quotes of real mormon materials.

You will also notice that many of these Christians are former Mormons who have left Mormonism and come to know the real Jesus Christ and His Gospel of Grace.

They have a passion to reach other Mormons to share what they learned about Salvation by grace and apart from human works.

Of course, they are attacked regularly by a very, very small group of Mormons who have zeal, but no knowledge beyond what the Mormon Church has told them. They also continually fail to identify any:

… Facts
… Evidence
… Logical support - that any - > reasonable <- person could understand that would validate their Mormon claims.

They do endlessly post links that “address” things without answering them.

Consistently, this small group of Mormon posters are forced to face that mormonism is based on little more than subjective feelings that cannot be objectively verified.

People deserve more than feelings and useless links to non-answers.

After reading both sides on this thread and others, you may very well be wondering about what you were taught when you joined the LDS church. You also may be wondering how to resolve the lack of facts, evidence and illogical nature of Mormon claims.

Many have approached those of us who are Christians asking where to find out more and some, even, to ask how to leave the Church and learn more about Christ’s Gospel of Grace.

Here are a few links to get you started in your quest to know the Biblical Christ.

http://www.irr.org/mit/default.html
http://www.exmormonsforjesus.org/
http://4mormon.org/ex-mormon.php
http://www.exmormon.org/
http://www.mormoncurtain.com/

You should also feel comfortable private FReep-mailing any Christians on this thread to ask questions about the concerns you have. We always do our best to directly answer your questions with facts, evidence and logical support from the Bible.

best,
ampu

[Jen Shroder]

I already did, Matthew 13, it’s up there under the picture of Joseph Smith (I think)

[aMorePerfectUnion]

“I just kind of have to hear it from a Mormon though.”

Good luck! It is common practice to NOT talk about anything
that makes them sound like non-Christians until AFTER you are hooked into the cult.

They call it, “lying for the lord”.

[UCANSEE2]

Correct. But all the pictures of Jesus that I saw growing up portrayed him as anything but a Middle Eastern Jewish man.

I know what you are saying about the differences in Mormonism and Christianity, and understand you trying to ‘save’ them from themselves.

If their religion doesn’t help them keep their faith, it is doomed to fail. But I have yet to see a religion that was brought down by the fact it doesn’t agree 100% with Christianity.

[Jen Shroder]

I got this from one of the other threads: When Christ pleads for us before the throne of the Father, He does not plead on the basis of our merit; He pleads on the basis of His merit and His suffering. Therefore, we must rely, as Nephi said, “wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save” (2 Nephi 31:19). Further, the power of Christ is not limited to payment for our sins. Through that power, He also took upon Himself the pains and sicknesses of His people, and He took upon Himself every negative consequence of a fallen world. As Elder Neal A. Maxwell (1926–2004) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said, “Since not all human sorrow and pain is connected to sin, the full intensiveness of the Atonement involved [Christ’s] bearing our pains, infirmities, and sicknesses, as well as our sins.”2 I don't care what Elder Maxwell said, but it looks to me like they believe Christ died for our sins. Personally I reject the BOM because I think Nephi identifies himself as not a prophet in the first page of the BOM, the part where he puffs himself up, claims he can speak on this because his parents were goodly, etc...no prophet introduces himself like that or claims to speak because he's so righteous, that right there told me all I needed to know. But that doesn't change whether or not they have the foundation of the Gospel.

[Jen Shroder]

Oh come on! LOL.

“Lying for the Lord” If anyone buys that they might as well join a satanic church.

I doubt very much any real Mormon believes in “lying for the Lord”

[bigheadfred]

If I knew nothing of Christianity and someone was telling me about how this guy was tortured and killed to make some god happy and then they get together and have a drink and a cracker and think it is flesh and blood and it makes us all better people to eat this flesh and drink this blood I would think “This is weird...they believe in human sacrifice... and cannibalism...”

Just sayin’.

Wish I had the time to save other people. I can’t even seem to save myself.

[Minus_The_Bear]

MRM.org

VIDEO: God never sinned?

[UCANSEE2]

What are the things that are "made up stuff" that WE Christians believe?

Thanks for the response. I'm not trying to argue the details of the Bible or any particular Christian religion, especially since the details are not the important thing.

However, since you demanded twice, I'll respond to that. In the simplest examples, there are many parodies, or stories in the Bible.

In the more extreme example, there is CHRISTMAS.

The CONCEPTS are important in the story, the truth of whether it REALLY HAPPENED is not.

[UCANSEE2]

The giving of that power and glory to Joey Smith...

Isn't he dead?