Mormons to Have 85,000 Missionaries This Year

ReligionNews.com ^ | June 4, 2013 | Jana Riess

[Colofornian]

The Salt Lake Tribune reported yesterday that the LDS Church is expecting to hit a milestone of 85,000 missionaries in late 2013. This is half again as many missionaries as were serving before the Church made its landmark October 2012 announcement that the missionary age was being lowered, spurring thousands of young men and women to turn in their applications.

[Colofornian]

From the article: The Salt Lake Tribune reported yesterday that the LDS Church is expecting to hit a milestone of 85,000 missionaries in late 2013.

The Lds currently have had over 50,000 missionaries...their previous high was just over 60,000 at any given time.

Now, with the age requirement being lowered, many are electing to not interrupt the flow of their college years by getting it out of the way post-high school.

So, there will be this temporary mass inflation...but will likely stay higher than what it was as 18 yo seniors coming out of high school remain a little more "idealistic" than 19 yo college freshmen.

[Colofornian]

This will significantly raise the number of Mormon messengers spouting the following:

Snapshot of Joseph Smith’s Slanderous Invectives vs. Christian Sects	Mormon Source [Note: Most of these are Mormon ‘scriptures'. In fact, First three rows below are Lds 'scripture' & therefore cannot be rug-swept any more than a Jew might try to take three commandments off of the very tablets of stone Moses brought down from the mountain]
“...which of all the sects was right… must join NONE of them, for they were ALL WRONG… those professors were ALL CORRUPT…”	Joseph Smith – History vv. 18-19. – Lds "scripture" Pearl of Great Price
...“which of all the sects was right…ALL their CREEDS were an ABOMINATION in his sight…they teach for doctrines the commandments of MEN…”	Joseph Smith – History vv. 18-19. – Lds "scripture" Pearl of Great Price
Mormon church the only ‘Christ-sanctioned’ church on earth: “…the foundation of this [Mormon] church…the ONLY true and living church on the face of the whole earth” [Obvious ‘scorched earth’ implication: All other churches are false and dead]	Lds “scripture” Doctrines & Covenants 1:30
Direct question asked of Joseph Smith: 'Will everybody be damned, but Mormons?" Answer from 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 [Not “scripture” – but still publicly spoken by the Mormon ‘living prophet’ and published by a later Mormon ‘living prophet,’ Joseph Fielding Smith – via a publisher owned by the Mormon church – Deseret News Press, 1938]
“In 1952…the first official proselyting plan was sent to missionaries throughout the world…It included seven missionary discussions that emphasized…[four topics, one of them being]…THE APOSTASY and Restoration…” [This makes it 60 years that Mormon church missionaries, soon to number 85,000, have formally emphasized in its training & door to door saturation a priority in bashing the worldwide Christian church as “apostates” (100% AWOL)]	Our Heritage: A Brief History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints p. 116, 1996

[District13]

Thanks for the Good News!

[Colofornian]

Ya know, there's a few folks who will occasionally complain about some of the threads I post. But at least when these threads are posted, no doorbell rings in your home that tends to compel the hearer to respond.

So, a note to ALL: Please consider either readying yourself to respond to the false claims of Mormonism, or, if you're not willing to do that, that leaves you with resorting to "no solicitation" or "no proselytizing" signs on your doors.

[montag813]

This is GOOD news? I think not. The Judge who ruled against Sheriff Joe Arpaio, Murray Snow is a Mormon who did his missionary work in Mexico and speaks fluent Spanish and made an absolute mockery of the law by declaring Arpaio's enforcement of the law "racial profiling" against a new race called "Latinos". Snow is disgusting and un-American- AND MORMON- AND his father is a BIG WIG in the LDS.

It is time for a boycott of all LDS-owned businesses and entities until they stop protecting illegal alien lawbreakers and endorsing amnesty.

[Williams]

Yeah I live in constant fear of someone ringing my doorbell. Thanks.

[Jeff Head]

Having myself served a two-year miossion for the Church in 1975-1977 in southern Germany, when there were 20,000 missionaries out in the field, I can say that this is an amazing thing to see.

Of course, since that time two things have happened that have significantly increased the number.

1) Retired couple and older single individuals are encouraged to serve. There are probably 20,000 of these individuals in these ranks.

2) As stated, the Church lowered the age for young men from 19 to 18 years of age, and for young women from 21 years to 19 years which has also increased the numbers significantly over the last year.

The mission is, and always has been about bringing people to Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of mankind and the Son of the Eternal God, our Father. In addition, the experience is an unbelievably good thing for those youth so involved in terms of teaching them to be away from home, to be able to be disciplined, to be engaged in a very worthwhile activity and to prepare them for life.

Both of my sons served, one in Canada, and the other in France. I am grateful for their service and the impact they had, through the Holy Spirit and Gospel of Jesus Christ on others, and that it had on them. It can never be taken away from them, or anyone else. They would have to give it up themselves.

God bless ALL people sincerely serving to bring anyone on this earth closer to Jesus Christ. I say that sincerely for all Christian faiths who have people out in the world so engaged in the great commission. it is the great balm and healer of individuals and nations.

AMERICA AT THE CROSSROADS OF HSTORY

THE PROGRESSIVE LIBERAL TRAIN WRECK OF MANKIND

[Morgana]

“So, a note to ALL: Please consider either readying yourself to respond to the false claims of Mormonism, or, if you’re not willing to do that, that leaves you with resorting to “no solicitation” or “no proselytizing” signs on your doors. “

au contraire mon frere I can’t wait for them to come! I intend to ask them why they sold out on the BSA when they held tight on Prop 8. I’d love to know that answer.

[Jeff Head]

Like Reid, there are LDS who choose wrong, who use bad judgment, and who use their position for personal gain or ideological advancement. Just as there are within all parties and denominations. I would no more judge harshly all Catholics by what Ted Kennedy did, or other denominations by the lame brain actions of a few.

Generally, if you are looking for bad amongst any group of people, you can find it. The converse also holds true.

[Colofornian]

The mission is, and always has been about bringing people to Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of mankind and the Son of the Eternal God, our Father.

ALL: This is the "Jesus" that Lds missionaries will attempt to "intro" others to:

To summarize the chart briefly:
The traditional Christ within Christianity is...
...uniquely THE ONLY begotten Son from eternity past, not one of millions of God's pre-existent "sons";
He is uniquely Savior, not one of millions of saviors per Mormondom;
He is uniquely Creator and divine and self-existent from eternity past, not one of MILLIONS of men who are somehow likewise "self-existent" from eternity past;
His blood is uniquely powerful beyond men's commandment-keeping -- lest the promise Jesus made to the thief on the cross become a false prophecy;
His blood is potent enough to cover ALL sins, unlike the Mormon Jesus who leaves men to "make up" for anemic blood via their own "blood atonement."
He absorbed God's wrath vs. the Book of Mormon violent Jesus who took out His wrath upon thousands of residents in alleged 16 Book of Mormon cities! The violent Mormon Jesus sunk, entombed, and otherwise destroyed perhaps up to 90,000 upon His death on the Mormon cross! The Bible knows no such horrific crucifixion aftermath fairy tales...

CHART

Questions Distinguishing 'Mormon' Jesus from Jesus of Bible	Mormon 'Jesus'?	Based upon what Lds 'scripture'	Jesus of Bible?	Relevant Scriptures
1. Was Jesus self-existent from all eternity past?	Lds say NO -- unless Lds want to claim that men also are 'self-existent' from eternity past: "Man was also in the beginning with God." (D&C 93:29); yet they de-emphasize their own "scripture" -- Alma 13:9 in the Book of Mormon, where it reads how Jesus was "the only begotten without beginning of days"	D&C 93:29 vs. Alma 13:9. Note: In Joseph Smith's "Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith," he also elaborated upon a "council of gods" who were before Heavenly Father; and how Heavenly Father himself had a "father" and grandfather.	YES	John 8:58; John 1:1,18; Micah 5:2; Ex. 3:14
2. Is the title 'firstborn' as applied to Christ NOT linked to being the "elder brother" of you and me as pre-earth spirits, as Mormons interpret it, but rather to the Son of God being the pre-eminent heir and creator of all things?	NO	D&C 93:21 -- introduced 1833...not found in Book of Mormon	NO	Col. 1:15-18; Eph. 6:12; Ps. 80:27
3. Can the 'Creator' be One who was 'created' (as a 'creature')?	YES	"And 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" (Lds "apostle" Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, pg.269).	NO	Col. 1:16
4. Was Jesus as Son of God perfect from eternity past?	NO	"Even Christ himself was NOT perfect at first; he received not a fulness at first, but he received grace for grace, and he continued to receive more and more until he received a fulness." (Lds 6th "prophet" Joseph F. Smith, Gospel Doctrine, 1986, p. 68); * "...we have a correct idea of the character of the Son from the writings of the apostles, so far as they learned it. But while he was tabernacling in the flesh, he was more or less contaminated with fallen nature." (Brigham Young, JoD vol. 6, p. 95)	YES	2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Pet. 2:22
5. Was Jesus always 'divine' from eternity past?	NO	* "Jesus BECAME a God and reached His great state of understanding through consistent effort and continuous obedience to all the Gospel truths and universal laws." (p. 51 Milton Hunter, The Gospel Through the Ages); * "Christ ATTAINED Godhood while yet in pre-existence..." (Lds "apostle" Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, 1966, p. 323)	YES	John 17:5; Heb. 1:8
6. Was Jesus born "at" Bethlehem?	NO (Jerusalem)	Alma 7:10, Book of Mormon	YES	Micah 5:2 prophesy; Matt. 2:1; Luke 2:4,15; John 7:42
7. Was one of the purposes that Christ came to earth was so that He, Himself could become a "saved being?"	YES	"Christ is a saved being” (Lds "apostle" McConkie, Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, Vol. 3, p 257); * "Christ's rise to the throne of exaltation was preceded by his descent below all things. Only by submitting to the powers of demons and death and hell could he, in the resurrection, serve as our exemplar of a SAVED BEING...” (McConkie and Millet, Doctrinal Commentary on the Book of Mormon, vol. 1, p. 234) Please also see... * McConkie, Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, Vol. 3, p. 238 where he said the Mormon "jesus" "Needs salvation...Came to earth to work out His own salvation”) and * McConkie, "The Seven Deadly Heresies,' in Speeches of the Year, 1980 [Provo: Brigham Young University Press, 1981] p. 78 where he said: "There was only one perfect being, the Lord Jesus. If men had to be perfect and live all of the law strictly, wholly, and completely, there would be only one saved person in eternity." [cited in Come, Follow Me: Melchizedek Priesthood Personal Study Guide 1983 (1983) p. 72]	NO	1 John 4:14; John 4:42 (THE Savior, not the saved!)
8. Is Jesus but one 'savior'-'redeemer' among many?	YES and NO (Lds contradicts themselves)	LDS: NO: D&C 76:1, 1832; changed 1834 in D&C 103:9 & expanded to save the dead in 1841-1842 (D&C 124; D&C 128:1-3, 17-18...esp. v. 18); also Lds cite Obadiah 21 in the Old Testament as some sort of "justification" for applying "saviors" (plural) to themselves -- alleged "saviors" of mankind via baptisms for the dead!	NO	"THE Savior" in 1 John 4:14 and John 4:42, not saviors plural; also, in 1 Cor. 15:29 which Mormons have hijacked as their own -- the apostle Paul says "they" -- not "we" -- practiced baptism for the dead; also Obadiah 21 has NOTHING to do with baptizing the dead!
9. Were our sins 'atoned' for in the Garden of Gethesemane?	Lds say YES	Lds misinterpret blood sweat in garden of Gethsemane as Jesus was praying as having "effect of atonement" (see official Lds magazine Ensign, for example: June 2007, p. 15)	NO	Col. 1:20; also Jesus never said "pick up your 'garden' and follow me" but said, "pick up your 'CROSS' and follow me"
10. Was Jesus quite violent at the point of His death?	YES	3 Nephi 8:8-->3 Nephi 9:12, esp. 8:23; 9:12, Book of Mormon	NO	Jesus became sin (2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Pet. 2:24) and became a curse (Gal. 3:13) on behalf of all, absorbing God's wrath on our behalf
11. Did Jesus really die for our personal sins or our rebellious nature?	NOTHING CONCLUSIVE: Lds "scriptures" are all over the map on this one: Mormonism teaches that (a) children have no sin nature & "cannot sin until they begin to become accountable" (D&C 29:47) -- even tho the Lds Pearl of Great Price teaches that children are conceived in sin (Moses 6:55), which "jives" more with Psalm 51:5 and 58:3; (b) yet the Book of Mormon teaches that men have a "carnal and fallen state" and that unless "they become new creatures...unless they do this, they can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God." (Mosiah 27:26)...adding in v. 25 & elsewhere in the BoM that they "must be born again"; but apparently that was all past tense in the pre-incarnational years of Jesus Christ, because Joseph Smith taught how Jesus redeemed men from the fall, making men "innocent before God" (D&C 93:38)...so men are "innocent" before God? (Oh, sure, that explains today's world "nicely")	Article of Faith 2: "All men will be punished for own sin."	BOTH	1 John 1:7-9; Romans 5:8-9
12. Is Christ's powerful atoning blood diluded to 'anemic' levels?	YES	Even tho a few Mormon "scriptures" emphasize the cleansing power of Christ's blood (see, for example Alma 7:14; D&C 76:41; Moses 6:59), Mormonism roots this in law-keeping (D&C 76:52)	NO	1 John 1:7; Rev. 1:5; Rev. 5:9; Rev. 7:14; Heb. 13:12; Heb. 10:19; Eph. 1:7; Rom. 5:9
13. Is Jesus as unique as the Bible makes Him out to be?	NO	a: D&C 93:29; b: Moses 3:5; 6:36; Abraham 3:22-23, Pearl of Great Price; c: See references in #7; d: Misreading of Obadiah 21, Old Testament; e: Note references to "gods" as if true plural gods existed: D&C 76:58; D&C 121:28; 132:20,32,37; Moses 4:11; Lds also cite Spring 1844 King Follett sermon from Smith as if "revelational" -- how people have to "become gods themselves"; f: D&C 20:19 -- Only being to be worshiped is God, yet Mormons don't regard Jesus as same "being" as Heavenly Father	YES!	John 3:18: The "Only" Begotten Son from eternity, not one "spirit son" begotten in the pre-existence among millions!
14. Can Jesus be prayed to directly?	NO, all Lds prayer is to Heavenly Father, but can be directed through Christ	No Lds "scripture" to back this up; in fact, Lds "scripture" states the opposite! (see 3 Nephi 19:18, 24-26)	YES!	Acts 7:59

[yldstrk]

we have a no solicitation ordinance where I live

[District13]

So Mormons should not be allowed to hold office, be judges, have businesses, or in other words, be allowed to function in a free country. Thank you for your open mindedness.

Oh, by the way, you need to add Catholics to your list of undesirables.

[KevinDavis]

Never mind that Reagan had a lot of Mormons working for him.. I think we should add Muslims to the list of undesirables as well..

[Colofornian]

Good question...

And, I do advocate people being hospitable hosts to Lds missionaries.

They work hard for a non-living.

Family expectations are a big reason they are there.

And many have yet to hear the true Gospel.

Be invitational. Be conversational. Be firm. Know what you believe -- and know a bit about what they believe. And yet don't assume that they are "down-the-line" Mormons on every believe; they are each unique individuals. Hence, treat them as such.

Still, even non-tow-the-line Mormons have a sense of tension about those areas they are at odds with Lds leadership. Because IF they have a firm conviction that Lds leaders are wrong/false on a few things, it only takes one false prophecy to be a false prophet...just as it only takes one theft to be a thief.

[Colofornian]

The Judge who ruled against Sheriff Joe Arpaio, Murray Snow is a Mormon who did his missionary work in Mexico and speaks fluent Spanish and made an absolute mockery of the law by declaring Arpaio's enforcement of the law "racial profiling" against a new race called "Latinos". Snow is disgusting and un-American- AND MORMON- AND his father is a BIG WIG in the LDS. It is time for a boycott of all LDS-owned businesses and entities until they stop protecting illegal alien lawbreakers and endorsing amnesty. [Montag813]

Response by District13 to Montag813: So Mormons should not be allowed to hold office, be judges, have businesses, or in other words, be allowed to function in a free country

So, District13, non-Mormons should NOT be allowed to NOT vote for whoever they want -- or don't want -- running for office or (retaining) certain judgeships?;
...they should NOT be allowed to boycott whatever businesses they want?
...and you call this then a "free country?"

Please pass on your dictatorial rules for voting & boycotting so that we might be in 100% compliance.

(Last time I looked, I thought character was still a measureable component when considering a candidate or considering retaining as a judge...we just didn't know that had been ruled "out of bounds" by you)

[CodeToad]

Mormons = Muslims: Started by child molesting murders so they could have sex with many women. Each nutjob called themselves “prophets”, rewrote the Bible to suit their greedy Earthly desires of sex with many women and children.

[DennisR]

I hope they all drop by our house!

[headsonpikes]

“Mormons = Muslims: Started by child molesting murders so they could have sex with many women. Each nutjob called themselves “prophets”, rewrote the Bible to suit their greedy Earthly desires of sex with many women and children.”

You seem a tad judgmental to me. Perhaps you were unable to get a good cup of coffee in Utah, but that shouldn’t spoil your whole weekend.

[CodeToad]

“You seem a tad judgmental to me. Perhaps you were unable to get a good cup of coffee in Utah, but that shouldn’t spoil your whole weekend.”

You seem to have had the koolaid instead.

[CodeToad]

P.S. The facts of the founders of these cults speak for themselves.