Straight Answers to Fox’s 21 Questions about the Mormon Church

Parchment and Pen ^ | Rob Bowman

[steve86]

I knew someone would bring up the resurrection story. Good job!

But there’s a difference. If you believe Jesus is God (we do), the story is completely plausible.

[dmz]

And how much money does this process cost, i.e., the praying a dead ancestor into heaven?
__________

About the same as a marriage annulment.

[i_dont_chat]

No, I am not talking about Purgatory. I’m speaking of the Mormon religion and praying for their lost ancestors and getting them prayed into Heaven.

I know about the Catholics belief in Purgatory.

[i_dont_chat]

How much does a marriage annulment cost? I don’t know.

I guess you are meaning a marriage annulment in the Catholic church?

I asked that question once of a Catholic Father, and the only answer I got was that there were fees to legal advisors in the Catholic Church, similar to attorney fees in civil court. But I never received an answer as to a dollar amount.

DO you know? Ballpark figure?

[steve86]

It would depend on the diocese and parish. A couple hundred dollars is in the ballpark; often waived.

[TheDon]

Mormons have no such belief.

[JamesP81]

But there’s a difference. If you believe Jesus is God (we do), the story is completely plausible.

I am absolutely with you on that one. I became a Christian at age 12 and then joined a southern baptist congregation. My point is that it's not about what is likely. The Bible is full of ordinary people doing extraordinary things.

The extraordinary fact is that Jesus was crucified, and three days later he was gone from his tomb.

In reference to the LDS church, I left because I came to hold beliefs that were in opposition to LDS theology. It no longer made sense for me to remain a member. That's not a slander against Mormons, most of which are fine folks and good citizens.

[meandog]

Who cares...this is as bad as this (anti-Mormon cartoon floating around internet: click here . Personally, I really don't care if Mitt worships the sun instead of "The Son." It's his character not his church that matters most.

[steve86]

That's not a slander against Mormons, most of which are fine folks and good citizens.

Yes, and I am absolutely with you on that. I think Romney is a fairly poor example of a Mormon.

[unspun]

On the other hand, it can get pretty tenuous to put someone in power who is a part of the inner circles of that cult, frankly.

[Tennessee Nana]

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Interesting....

[i_dont_chat]

You said Mormon have no such beliefs. I think you are incorrect.

I have read that deceased persons can be baptised by proxy in the Mormon Temple. And Mormons are encouraged to do genealogy research for their ancestors and get as many of them baptised by proxy as they can. I am asking if it is more a matter of expense (how much does it cost?) or lack of information on the deceased ancestor? Thus, the genealogy database kept in Salt Lake City.

[rjsimmon]

Typical Garbage!
I spent the first 18 years of my life in the Church. I am no longer a practicing Mormon. While some of the above statements are correct...most of them are crap. Mormons do not believe they will become gods. They dont preach that mary was humped by god....I mean come on. Women do not need a secret code ring or password to get into heaven.
Ive dealt with enough bigot Christians to never step foot in a church again. The southern Baptists i dealt with in highschool were the worst. Bashing another religion is not very christ-like...and thats the whole point of being a christian right...to be like christ?
/Rant off

You are quite incorrect. The LDS faith teaches quite clearly that the faithful will indeed become gods. To wit: "As man is, God once was. As God is, man may become." The Doctrine and Covenants says this:

19 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, ...Ye shall come forth in the first resurrection; ...and shall inherit thrones, kingdoms, principalities, and powers, dominions, ...and they shall pass by the angels, and the gods, which are set there, to their exaltation and glory in all things, as hath been sealed upon their heads, which glory shall be a fulness and a continuation of the seeds forever and ever.
20 Then shall they be gods, because they have no end; therefore shall they be from everlasting to everlasting, because they continue; then shall they be above all, because all things are subject unto them. Then shall they be gods, because they have all power, and the angels are subject unto them.
21 Verily, verily, I say unto you, except ye abide my law ye cannot attain to this glory.
22 For strait is the gate, and narrow the way that leadeth unto the exaltation and continuation of the lives, and few there be that find it, because ye receive me not in the world neither do ye know me. (Doctrine and Covenants 132:19-22)

Further, Brigham Young, in the Journal of Discourses specifically says that Jesus was NOT born by the Holy Spirit but after copulating with God the Father:

Now to the facts in the case; all the difference between Jesus Christ and any other man that ever lived on the earth, from the days of Adam until now, is simply this, the Father, after He had once been in the flesh, and lived as we live, obtained His exaltation, attained to thrones, gained the ascendancy over principalities and powers, and had the knowledge and power to create—to bring forth and organize the elements upon natural principles. This He did after His ascension, or His glory, or His eternity, and was actually classed with the Gods, with the beings who create, with those who have kept the celestial law while in the flesh, and again obtained their bodies. Then He was prepared to commence the work of creation, as the Scriptures teach. It is all here in the Bible; I am not telling you a word but what is contained in that book.
Things were first created spiritually; the Father actually begat the spirits, and they were brought forth and lived with Him. Then He commenced the work of creating earthly tabernacles, precisely as He had been created in this flesh himself, by partaking of the course material that was organized and composed this earth, until His system was charged with it, consequently the tabernacles of His children were organized from the coarse materials of this earth.
When the time came that His first-born, the Saviour, should come into the world and take a tabernacle, the Father came Himself and favoured that spirit [Mary] with a tabernacle instead of letting any other man do it. The Saviour was begotten by the Father of His spirit, by the same Being who is the Father of our spirits, and that is all the organic difference between Jesus Christ and you and me. And a difference there is between our Father and us consists in that He has gained His exaltation, and has obtained eternal lives. The principle of eternal lives is an eternal existence, eternal duration, eternal exaltation. Endless are His kingdoms, endless His thrones and His dominions, and endless are His posterity; they never will cease to multiply from this time henceforth and forever. (Journal of Discourses, vol. 4, pp. 217-218)

Lastly, women must be called by their husbands:

LDS Apostle Erastus Snow preached on Sunday, Oct. 4, 1857:

Do the women, when they pray, remember their husbands?... Do you uphold your husband before God as your lord? "What!—my husband to be my lord?" I ask, Can you get into the celestial kingdom without him? Have any of you been there? You will remember that you never got into the celestial kingdom [during the temple ceremony] without the aid of your husband. If you did, it was because your husband was away, and some one had to act proxy for him. No woman will get into the celestial kingdom, except her husband receives her, if she is worthy to have a husband; and if not, somebody will receive her as a servant. (Journal of Discourses, vol. 5, p. 291)

[steve86]

When a poster claimed “Mormons have no such beliefs”, it is the typical tactic (shared by the Church PR in the official answers) of giving a misleading answer because of some technicality in the question. In other words, if the question were worded just slightly differently they would not be able to evade a giving a proper answer so easily.

[plainspeaker]

You will wear yourself out trying to figure out what a candidate says, what they truly believe, and what they will do if they win the office. It is hard to read people by watching their performances on radio and television. As to the belief systems that reside between their ears, just drop it. Don’t waste time on non-issues. This country’s defense, immigration and our economy and OUR well-being is what it’s all about. Take Bush, please! Ok, he is not articulate, not eloquent, but most people think he is real and what you see is what you get. I haven’t spent much time thinking about his professions of being ‘born again’. Hey, so was Jimah Catah, but it had no effect on his presidential performance. I really don’t give a damn what kind of underwear a candidate wears, or none at all. It matters little.

[Zakeet]

All of this worry over the number of changes [to the Book of Mormon] is specious.

"I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on the earth ... " (Joseph Smith, History of the Church, Vol. 4, page 461)

Actually, as noted HERE, the LDS Church has made almost 4,000 changes, and many of them are substantial.

But I was told Joseph translated the golden plates using "Urim and Thummin" (i.e. peep-spectacles) so there could be no errors of transmission? And didn't LDS officials teach every word and every letter was given to [Joseph Smith] by the gift and power of God?

And didn't Joseph claim the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth? If so, why do dozens of obvious ERRORS remain in the Book of Mormon? Do these mistakes concern Mormons or their Church Authorities? Will the errors ever be corrected like the text was?

And what about the CHANGES to Doctrine and Covenants? I was told that book was based on revelations which came directly from God. Did He change His mind, or was He wrong the first time?

And what about all the CONTRADICTIONS between Mormon scripture? How can something be impeccable when it, in fact, impeaches itself?

As noted before, in light of the above, I have repeatedly asked: How can someone know the Standard Works are true and Joseph Smith was not a false prophet? And as mentioned previously, I have yet to receive a reasoned response.

Perhaps today ... perhaps on this thread ...

[meandog]

Look, I'm no Mittwit fan but let's judge him on the content of his character rather than the content of his church. There are enough weird religious practices out there and they are not all connected to the LDS bunch. For instance: most Roman Catholics believe in transubstantiation (literally the turning of wine and bread into the body and blood of Christ at Eucharistic services. Some of you fundamentalists hold that the earth is only 10,000 years old and created in just six 24-hour days...as well some Pentecostals still play with snakes in church, daring God to have them bite. ALL religion has quirks.

[Clifdo]

It cost my brother $1500 to get an annulment from a woman to whom he was legally married and the father of 4 children to marry a woman belonging to the catholic church.

[nesnah]

Well, there’s the first problem.

Joseph Smith translated the alleged Golden Plates not with the Urim and thummin, but with....get this.....yes, Southpark was quite accurate.......putting a rock in his hat, pulling the hat over his face, so as to exclude all light, and speaking words that were then written down by his scribes.

95% of all Mormons don’t know it happened this way as they have been told a different, more glorius and fantastic story.

But, the way it happened, as I have described above, is an account given by one of the three attesting witnesses to the veracity of the whole story, as well as Joseph Smith’s own mother.

[Clifdo]

I should have said married to a woman to whom he had been legally married......................