US Presidential Elections: Romney Mormon-Abortion Video Goes Viral [VIDEO]
"I got binders full of women"
Mitt Romney Shows Frustration After Second Presidential Debate -10-16-2012
OBAMA GETS AGGRESSIVE..
MITT FIGHTS BACK..
THINGS GET TESTY
Truth about Mitt Romney - Mormonism and the Book of Mormons
ethicsdaily.com/prominent-african-american-southern-baptist-conde...
A prominent African-American Southern Baptist pastor hopes messengers at next week's annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention will pass a
www.exposemittromney.com/
Expose Mitt Romney is dedicated to exposing the duplicitous campaign being run by this high ranking member of the Mormon cult.
ormon
Rising Christian Imperialism Fueled by Dominion Theology. The article is mainly about the danger of Far Right Christian dominionists gaining control after the Obama failure brings about a Far Right backlash in America.
Little did I know when I wrote it that there is already a plan in place to establish a world theocracy from America. It is part of Mormon prophetic doctrine. Now some might say that this is just some pipe dream of a cult. However, if you read this article you might not be so complacent. Mormons have been working toward that end for 160 years and they have infiltrated high levels of government especially top secret intelligence positions. One of their own Bishops, Mitt Romney, is still one of the top contenders for President of the United States in 2012.
"To this truth seeker, this quote is very troublesome for a couple of fairly obvious reasons. ... Luciferian religion - and the parallels to Mormonism are totally stunning. .... to the FACTS of our Mormon history, nor the very real POSSIBILITY that the ... was Sovereign Pontiff of Universal Freemasonry, and Head of the Illuminati ..
1857massacre.com/MMM/oath_of_
Mormonism is Luciferian & Masonic. April 25, 2012 (Designated GOP ... who consider themselves Republicans will not vote for a Mormon. They know it is a cult, but
... day Saints (sometimes known as the “Mormon Church” by the media). She is currently taking a religion ... “For in those days there shall also arise false ...
www.mormonbeliefs.org/3193/false-
"What evidence do you have that the Mormon Jesus and Satan ... below (note that Sata n is also
Mitt Romney will likely struggle nationally, particularly with women, because his father was “born on a polygamy commune in Mexico,” said Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer.
news.yahoo.com/fact-check-romney-dad-growing-poor-205237369....
Miles Park Romney had five wives and 30 children, and fled to Mexico after passage of the 1882 Edmunson Act that barred polygamy. George Romney's father .
gratewire.com › General Open Forum
Smith knew the affect it might have on his community and after polygamy began to ... Mitt Romney's father, George S. Romney was born in Mexico in the. Colonia ..
www.dailykos.com/story/.../-Mitt-Romney-s-Dad-was-on-Welfare
Sep 5, 2012 – Interesting note, that I originally saw from a post on Buzzflash, was that George Romney, Mitt Romney's father, was on welfare early in his life,
www.boston.com/...romney-father-george-romney.../story.html
Sep 19, 2012 – But his own father was once among public aid recipients. As the Globe has previously reported, George Romney's family fled from Mexico in ...
www.npr.org/.../welfare-wasnt-always-a-dirty-word-in-the-romney-f...
Sep 19, 2012 – It was there that Mitt Romney's grandfather Gaskell and father, George, were born into an increasingly prosperous family and Mormon ..
www.sltrib.com/sltrib/politics/.../romney-born-george-craig.html.csp
Aug 30, 2012 – “It's easy to forget that the story of my father's success begins with the ... voters Thursday, drawing on his late grandfather, George Romney, ...
Joseph Smith instructed Young that plural marriage was a divine commandment that would bring a select number of righteous men tremendous blessings for eternity.
The sheer variety of Brigham Young's marriages makes it difficult to make sense of them. He married -- was sealed to, in Mormon parlance -- young (Clarissa Decker, 15) and old (Hannah Tapfield King, 65). He married single women and widows. Perhaps most unusually, he was sealed to his first two mothers-in-law. Perhaps most controversially, he married women who were already married, some to Mormon men in good standing.
by Matt Slick
Yes, Mormonism is a cult. Mormonism, also called The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), is not considered to be Christian by Christians. In fact, Mormonism teaches the following non Christian, non biblical doctrines. (Note that all the documentation is taken from Mormon writers and Mormon scriptures.)
In contrast to these teachings, Christianity the Bible teaches that God has always been God and was never a man (Psalm 90:2). The Bible no where says he lives near another star or that the Father has a body of flesh and bones -- which Christ contradicted in John 4:24 and Luke 24:39. We do not have the potential of becoming gods because there are no gods formed (Isaiah 43:10; 44:6,8; 45:5). The Trinity is one God (Deut. 6:4), not three.
There are numerous books written about Mormonism from a biblical perspective, exposing its false teachings.
Of course, we do not hate the Mormons and we pray for their repentance from believing in false gods. But, Mormonism is not Christian.
secretarcana.com/.../the-order-of-the-illuminati-its-origins-its-method...
As the number of people asking that question has grown, facts about the Order ... tasks to accomplish in order to prepare them to take action in the “real world”. ... A definite alliance between the Illuminati and Freemasonry became possible in ...... Illuminati process reminds me a lot of Mormonism/LDS church style which no .
By Adam Miller / Baptist Press
Friday, February 26, 2010
As one Mormon candidate launches his White House bid, the Southern Baptist official ... points out, the Latter-day Saints ... is that Mormons do not know the real Jesus of the Bible.
Southern Baptist Convention warns Christians about teachings of Mormonism
Apapepress
February 15, 2007
By Allie Martin
Rob Bowman with the North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) says Christians need to be aware that the beliefs of the Mormon Church are inconsistent with biblical Christianity. As one Mormon candidate launches his White House bid, the Southern Baptist official is urging Christians to take advantage of materials his denomination offers that teach the truth about Mormonism.
As former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney officially announced his presidential candidacy this week, a cover story in USA Today looked at the beliefs of the Mormon Church, formally known as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Rob Bowman, manager of the apologetics and interfaith evangelism department of the SBC’s North American Mission Board (NAMB), thinks Christians would be wise to take an even closer look at the Mormons, lest any be deceived about the nature and tenets of that religious group. He says although the Mormon Church wages an expensive public relations campaign, using terms familiar to appeal to evangelicals, the core teachings of the church do not line up with scripture and are inconsistent with evangelical Christianity.
For this reason, Bowman says the SBC has for decades offered, through its various entities, information resources focusing on the Mormon Church. Many of these resources detail the differences between Christian and Mormon beliefs — of which there are many, the NAMB official observes.
For example, Bowman notes, "In 15 short years, [Mormon Church founder] Joseph Smith went from being a thoroughgoing monotheist, a believer in one god, to a thoroughgoing polytheist, teaching the existence of many gods." Also, he points out, the Latter-day Saints teach that humans can achieve godhood by joining the church and taking part in specific deeds and ceremonies.
Such divergent beliefs are among the reasons, the NAMB official asserts, why Christians must know the Bible, so as not to be fooled by non-biblical Mormon teachings. As for the Mormon Church members themselves, he adds, "Our concern is that they don’t really know the God of the Bible. So we’re concerned for their salvation."
The concern of Bible-believing Christians is that Mormons do not know the real Jesus of scripture, Bowman explains. The SBC’s desire, he says, is not only to see evangelicals learn about the differences between Mormonism and Christianity but also to see Mormons come to know Jesus and have an authentic relationship with Him.
Michelle Vu
Christian Post Reporter
July 27 2007
Mormons believe in a false gospel and are not Christians, concluded one of the nation’s preeminent evangelicals in what appeared to be the close of an online debate over Mormonism.
“Here is the bottom line. As an Evangelical Christian – a Christian who holds to the ‘traditional Christian orthodoxy’ of the Church – I do not believe that Mormonism leads to salvation,” wrote Dr. R. Albert Mohler, Jr., president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, on Wednesday evening.
“To the contrary, I believe that it is a false gospel that, however sincere and kind its adherents may be, leads to eternal death rather than to eternal life,” he stated.
Mohler’s response is part of an ongoing “blog dialogue” sponsored by the Web site Beliefnet.com. Since June 28, the evangelical scholar and prominent Mormon science-fiction writer Orson Scott Card have been debating whether Mormons can be considered Christians.
During the course of the debate, Card focused on whether Mormons are moral people, good citizens and why Mormon presidential candidate Mitt Romney should be supported by evangelicals. He emphasized that Mormons share many of the same values as evangelical Christians and believe Jesus Christ is the only path to salvation.
However, Mohler noted that whether a Mormon has similar moral values to evangelical Christians is beside the point because Beliefnet.com had asked whether Mormons can be considered Christians based on traditional Christian orthodoxy.
“It appears that we are not really discussing the same question,” noted Mohler in his latest blog response.
“The debate has never been about whether Mormons are good Americans or would make good neighbors,” he wrote.
“I dare say that most American Evangelicals and traditional Roman Catholics would find more in common with Mormons in terms of child-rearing, sexual morality, the protection of marriage and family, and a host of other issues, than they would with liberal Catholics or liberal Protestants,” acknowledged Mohler.
But Mormonism from its beginning has rejected traditional Christian orthodoxy, which is part of the core Mormon identity, pointed out the highly-respected theologian. The subtitle of The Book of Mormon is “Another Testament of Jesus Christ.”
Mohler – who is often seen on “Larry King Live” and other popular news show representing the Christian voice – concluded that Mormonism is not just another form of Christianity and is incompatible with “traditional Christian orthodoxy.”
“Despite our deep differences of belief over the nature of God and his plans for his children, we recognize that those who believe in the other Christian faiths have taken a giant step closer to fulfilling the intentions of our Lord,” wrote Card on Thursday. “They are, in heart and mind, Christians.”
Card looked back on Christian history when Protestant Christian denominations were not accepted as part of the traditional church according to the Catholic viewpoint, and was even condemned guilty of heresy.
He concluded: “Call us ‘nontraditional Christians’ and continue to encourage your communicants not to believe our doctrines. We’ll happily continue to call you ‘traditional Christians’ and teach people why they should believe our doctrines.”
The Mormon defender ended by calling for unity in a world where Christians are persecuted and expressed appreciation that Dr. Mohler affirmed that Mormons should be equally considered for American public offices regardless of theological difference.
Basic beliefs of Mormons explained
Mormonism started in 1830 with 24-year-old year old Joseph Smith Jr. According to Smith, he had several experiences, during which God, Jesus, and the angel Moroni gave him instructions. Part of the instructions was to dig up some gold plates buried by the angel Moroni around A.D. 400 on a hill just outside of Smith's town of Palmyra, New York. Smith dug up the plates, claimed they were written in "Reformed Egyptian," and that God had given him the ability to translate them. This translation became known as the Book of Mormon, an account of the ancient inhabitants of North America between 600 B.C. and A.D. 400.
Mormons have four sources of authority: the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Pearl of Great Price, and Doctrine and Covenants. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has become one of the fastest-growing religions in the world. The church owns Brigham Young University.
1. God. Once a human as we are now, and progressed to become God. He is one of many gods.
2. Man. Has the ability to progress and become a god just as Jehovah did.
3. Marriage. Polygamy is no longer advocated, although it once was encouraged.
4. Jesus. The son of God, but not part of the Godhead. Mormons do not believe in the Trinity.
Mormons are very sincere about their faith. Conversations with Mormon missionaries promise to be cordial. Mormon scholars, such as those at Brigham Young University, are well aware of the challenges which face Mormonism.
What do Mormons tell you when they visit?
When Mormons visit you, they usually will not focus on the doctrines previously mentioned. In fact, they probably will not even bring them up during the first few meetings. Instead they will seek to find common ground with you on many of the doctrines Christians believe. For example, they may begin by saying that God revealed the Old Testament through Moses and the prophets. Then Jesus came, was crucified and resurrected. His disciples wrote books and letters that became the New Testament. We all agree on these facts.
Then the differences begin. They will tell you that before Jesus' ascension into heaven, He appeared to the inhabitants of North America and gave them the gospel as well. His message and the history of these inhabitants from 600 B.C. to A.D. 400 are recorded in the Book of Mormon.
Furthermore, they will tell you that since the apostles were not replaced when they were killed, the Church went into apostasy. In other words, it abandoned the true faith, and consequently, a restoration was necessary. Mormons believe that God chose Joseph Smith to bring that restoration; therefore, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the true Church.
How to answer Mormons
Mormons are well equipped to answer many of the issues Christians bring to their attention and have answers adequate to silence the average critic. The Mormon missionaries who come to your door are cordial and will listen to what you have to say. Enjoy the opportunity to share your faith with them, but be prepared by having good answers. Although there are many issues, which you may bring to the Mormons' attention, focus on four that are of primary importance:
A. The Bible is reliable. Mormons claim that the Bible has been corrupted over the years as evidenced by the many different translations. How do we know that the Bible we have today is the same as it was 2,000 years ago? The original words of the Bible have been preserved with remarkable purity and that its accuracy has been confirmed by both history and archaeology. Variances among English translations do not call into question the preservation of the Bible over the years. Until you have shown this to a Mormon, it is useless to point out that some Mormon doctrines differ from the Bible. They will only respond that the Bible is unreliable.
B. There is no archaeological confirmation of the Book of Mormon. While the spade of the archaeologist has confirmed many places and peoples mentioned in the Bible, it has not been at all favorable to the Book of Mormon. Although Mormons will confidently assert that archaeology has confirmed the Book of Mormon's accuracy time and time again, professional archaeologists have arrived at quite a different conclusion.
C. The Book of Abraham is a fraud. The Book of Abraham is one of the books in the Pearl of Great Price, one of Mormonism's scriptures. Joseph Smith purchased some ancient Egyptian papyri and claimed it was an original book penned by Abraham himself while in Egypt. He translated it allegedly by the same gift, which God had given him to translate the Book of Mormon. Professional Egyptologists have translated the papyri since their rediscovery in 1967. Their translations bear no resemblance to Smith's translation, exposing him as a charlatan.
D. Evidence for Mormonism? Mormons are convinced that Mormonism is true because the inward testimony of God tells them so. If you are going to be effective when talking to Mormons, it is crucial that you address this issue. Otherwise, no amount of solid evidence, which testifies against Mormonism, will be of help to them.
(EDITOR'S NOTE - The North American Mission Board's apologetics web site, www.4truth.net, carries much more information about many brands of religion.
Romney's LDS faith makes him a 'cult' member, Texas pastor says
By Peggy Fletcher Stack
The Salt Lake Tribune
WASHINGTON - Evangelicals who believe the country needs a Christian in the White House but promoted Mitt Romney's candidacy during the Republican primaries were hypocrites, according to a Texas pastor.
Romney, a Mormon, is not a Christian, the Rev. Robert Jeffress said, but a member of a "cult."
"I believe we should always support a Christian over a non-Christian," Jeffress, pastor of First Baptist Church of Dallas, told a packed audience of journalists at last weekend's Religion Newswriters Association (RNA) annual meeting. "The value of electing a Christian goes beyond public policies. . . . Christians are uniquely favored by God, [while] Mormons, Hindus and Muslims worship a false god. The eternal consequences outweigh political ones. It is worse to legitimize a faith that would lead people to a separation from God."
Jeffress made his remarks during a luncheon debate with Jay Sekulow, chief counsel for the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), a law firm and educational organization that focuses on religious-liberty issues. The DeMoss Group, a Christian public-relations firm in Duluth, Ga., sponsored the event.
Sekulow, who also disagrees with Mormon theology but supported Romney's candidacy, argued he would rather have a president who promoted a conservative political agenda than one who shared his doctrinal positions.
"Jimmy Carter ran as a born-again Christian," Sekulow reasoned, "but his presidency did nothing for the issues I care about."
Mark DeMoss, the company's president, opened the session by describing his decision to lead Romney's outreach to conservative Christians. DeMoss said he had come to admire Romney, despite their theological differences, but was amazed at the vehement opposition to the Mormon's candidacy among Evangelicals.
"When making the choice of candidate for president, I don't care how different the person's theology is from mine, just like I don't care about my doctor's theology or the guy's who built my house or the architect's," DeMoss said in an interview this week. "I'm challenging people who would oppose a Mormon because he's a Mormon, but I'm also challenging people who would instantly embrace a Southern Baptist because he's a Southern Baptist. Both conclusions are bad."
DeMoss said he doesn't mind when people come to different conclusions about which candidate to support, but hopes as least "they're thinking."
The lively debate seemed to prove his point.
"It was one of the more spirited lunch discussions we've ever had at RNA," said RNA president Kevin Eckstrom, who noted that the journalist organization did not organize the event. "A lot of people were uncomfortable with what Dr. Jeffress said about Mormons, but what we were hoping for was something provocative that would get people talking, and certainly this did it."
Many reporters said they had never heard the word "cult," which Jeffress repeatedly called the LDS Church, used so "freely and recklessly," said Eckstrom, editor of Religion News Service in Washington, D.C. But Jeffress used the same word to describe "Catholics, Hindus, Buddhists and virtually everyone else."
It was useful for reporters to be aware of such strident views, Eckstrom said, because they are "completely mainstream in a lot of evangelical quarters."
First Baptist of Dallas "is not a backwater pulpit somewhere. It is a major church in Texas and in Southern Baptist circles," Eckstrom said. "It's a huge institution and a lot of followers. He's not just spouting these opinions for himself but proud of the fact that he was going back to his congregation and declare every other religion was wrong, and at least 10,000 people hear this position every week."
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints insists that it is a Christian faith, though not a traditional brand of Christianity. LDS officials today declined to comment on Jeffress' statements until they see a transcript of the remarks, spokeswoman Kim Farah said.
The leader of this hate mongering, white-supremacist, racist cult is Arnold Murray. ... He teaches the common Mormon (LDS) doctrine that men preexisted time.
www.foxnews.com/story/
My ancestors came west with the Mormon wagon train. I was born andf lived in Utah. If you believe in the Bible, the Mormon religion is a false religion
www.huffingtonpost.com/.../black-mormons-election-romn...
Mitt Romney, being a priest and a high ranking bishop must believe that these racist scriptures in the Book of Mormon are true. In order to be a bishop or a Mormon you must believe in the Book of Mormon. It stands to reason that Mitt Romney is Racist or else he would renounce Joseph Smith teachings and the Book of Mormon.
White Blood Mixed with Negro Blood Brings Death on the Spot
Journal of Discourses 10:110-111; “Shall I tell you the law of God in regard to the African race? If the white man who belongs to the chosen seed mixes his blood with the seed of Cain, the penalty, under the law of God, is death on the spot. This will always be so.” – Brigham Young, Salt Lake City, March 8, 1863
Romans 8:1; “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”
If Mormons believe in an all knowing and infallible God, how do they reconcile teaching polygamy and black inferiority as a religious truth -- as an edict their prophets received direct from the mouth of God but then after 1978 it's no longer a religious truth. If Mormons believe in God that ought to tell them that these men posing as prophets are not prophets but ordinary men, making up stuff, attributing it to God, in order to get you to believe it's true.
The truth doesn't change. If was God's truth as transmitted through Mormon prophets pre-1978 how did it become an untruth after 1978? I'll tell you how -- it was never truth in the first place and it was not of God in the first place (it was of man). I submit Mormonism is a made up proposition brought to us by a couple of men calling themselves prophets/latter day saints.
I recommend the following 2 part Frontline documentary to everyone for an indepth look at the history of Mormonism. http://video.pbs.org/video/1460817958
If the Book of Mormon is false, then Joseph Smith must have been a false prophet. ... admitted to me that they knew Mormonism was a false religion
I do not think it is a coincidence that many of the main beliefs of the Mormon religion are the exact opposite of what we believe in as Christians. These false beliefs .
Is Joseph Smith a false prophet, or the real deal? Former Mormon ... Christ until they are able to recognize that their religion .
www.jesus-is-savior.com/False%20Religions/Mormons/sex_cult.htm
Mormonism is a Freemasonry demonic cult (founded in 1830 by charlatan, con-
cbrefugeecamp.yuku.com/.../ARNOLD-MURRAY-SHEPHERDS-CH...
Sep 7, 2011 – I wouldn't go as far as calling him a closet Mormon, but Dob is absolutely correct about the connection. Have you ever read the Mormon Book of Abraham? ... be God's word than to ever take your word or Arnold Murray's word
And Ye Shall Be As God – The Mormons' Strange Salvation ... Arnold Murray and the Shepherd's Chapel – Examining the Strange Teaching of the Grandfather of Denial Arnold ..... The Lamsa Connection - The Origin of Wierwille's False Christ ..
gospelbiblepaths.50webs.com/index_6.html
And text links from most listings, connect them with other listings relative to their subject matter; providing ... Practice of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter–day Saints (LDS) whereby living members are ...... Shepherds Chapel, Arnold Murray: ..
www.christianpost.com/.../evangelical-baptist-pastor-mormonism-is-a...
Oct 7, 2011 – Robert Jeffress, the evangelical pastor of First Baptist Dallas, said Mitt Romney is not a Christian and Mormonism is a cult, after introducing Rick
Mormomism claims to be a branch of Christianity, but this comparison of their beliefs show they are something wildly different. Some will be shocked, but it is ..
Mormons also believe:
God was once a man just like us but became God
God had actual sex with Mary
ALL other religions are of the Devil
Blood atonement
United Order
The entire Temple Endowment
The Garden of Eden being in Missouri
The sun and the moon are inhabited, because God would never let so much space go to waste.
The flood story and the Tower of Babel story are literal.
Evolution is false.
Apparent dinosaur fossils are the machinations of Satan. He shaped rocks as if they had been bones of past giants to deceive the very elect.
Satan can't enter the temple.
Satan has control of the waters.
Satan can't read your mind.
In the celestial kingdom we'll all have personal seer stones.
The Elders will save the constitution.
Christ will establish new Zion in Missouri.
Just a few of the hundreds of sites on what Mormons believe...
Do you really want Mitt Romney in office? Why not a Scientologist or Satanist?..
http://www.lifeaftermormonism.net/profiles/blogs/101-nonpublic-or-weird-beliefs-of-mormons
http://www.top10craziestmormonbeliefs.com/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ip4qQnz2fFo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKqqGX0DEMM&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuSde2jGhm8&feature=related
Mormon Underwear. Known to some is the fact that members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (or Mormon Church) wear a special kind of underwear in ...
www.ldschurchtemples.com/mormon/
Mormon underwear, you may ask what does this have to do with the Mountain Meadows Massacre? Well the underwear as far as I know is insignificant in reference to the
An award winning historical examination of Joseph Smith, the founding prophet of Mormonism, and his relationship with the occult traditions of Gnosticism,
Leading Mormons to the REAL Jesus Christ
Learn why Mormonism and the United States Presidency Won't Ever Mix
The Heavenly Father of Mormonism is not spirit - John 4:24
How you can know and trust what God has to say in His word
Church leaders have said that without the vision of Joseph Smith, they'd have nothing so let's take a look at some of the things of Joseph
Ishtar, an Assyrian and Babylonian Goddess known as the
In Part One, we traced the strange origins of the Mitt Romney's Mormon faith and asked if the entire religion was a hoax perpetrated on 19th century victims. Let’s begin part two with what would seem at first glance to be a question with an obvious answer.
This is perhaps a more essential question since, no matter how it may have begun, the true value of any religion lies in what it has become and what it teaches its followers. And as far I can tell, no religion officially accepts the practice of lying. (Even Satanists are probably supposed to be truthful to one another, I'd imagine.)
The strongest criticism of the Mormon Church comes, not from other religions, atheists or outsiders, but from ex-Mormons. Former ex-high priest Park Romney, the cousin of the presidential candidate, has been quite open about this subject. He told BBC,
What that precise evidence was is not mentioned. Outside of the history of the formation of the religion, there are other things that Church leaders would prefer not to reveal.
Former Mormon missionaries have reported that the statements they made in order to convert others were extremely misleading. The alleged practice is called Lying for the Lord, which is summed up best in this way.
Naturally the whole idea of Lying for the Lord is disputed by the elders of the Church. It simply doesn't exist, they say, and if missionaries misrepresent the religion is merely because they are a bit too eager or they are not fully versed. Perhaps, that's true.
However, Loren Franck, a full-time Mormon missionary from 1975 to 1977, freely admits that she lied for the church regularly. Some of the lies she listed were simply a matter of doctrinal differences between the traditional Christian Church and the Mormon faith. Others were more serious misrepresentations of the faith.
(As we shall see, her statement conflicts with what Mormon president Gordon B. Hinckley stated categorically- that the Mormon idea of Jesus was unique and unlike the traditional view held by most Christians. He implied that true enlightenment can only come through Joseph Smith and not through the Bible.)
All of this dances around the real question. What is it about the Mormon faith that missionaries feel that they must conceal?
The Principle of Eternal Progression
One staggering fact that Franck mentions that missionaries hide from potential converts is the doctrine that people can become gods. And conversely, God was once a man. Not only that, God was born on a planet called Kolob or at least He has a throne in the neighborhood. (h/t to Nathan.) At least that’s according to the Pearl of Great Price, an early collection of church-recognized doctrines, produced by Smith. It is considered part of the canon of Mormonism.
Regarding the God-man relationship, modern Church leaders tend to dissemble about this particular point but this Mormon tenet was taught by all of the early fathers. The book, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith explains:
The fifth LDS President Lorenzo Snow in 1840 reportedly said,
Orson Hyde, a leader in the early Latter Day Saint movement and an original member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, sketched this unusual image of God:
Given its explosive nature, this tenet was rarely shared with prospective converts. Missionaries try to entice people into Mormonism gradually, and presenting the doctrine of plural gods -and the Lord as a bit too human- is seldom the best way. Several contacts learned the concept from their pastors or read about it on their own, but it was new to most prospects. For most traditional Christians, the concept of God and Man being only a matter of degrees in progression is certainly blasphemous.
Most Christians would reflexively reject the notion with a shudder.
Attitudes towards Christianity
Many people who know a little about Mormonism know that, unlike traditional Christian faiths, members of this faith do not use the symbol of the cross. There are many reasons given for this. But the usual one is that they prefer to concentrate on the birth and resurrection of Christ rather than his death on the cross.
Of all the symbols of Christianity, the cross is the most identifiable. In fact, there are many more important differences between the Christian faith and Mormonism.
Despite the current public relations campaign Mormons have long been taught that their religion is superior to all other religions, including Christianity.
As one source explains:
Mormon's 15th president Gordon B.Hinckley, as reported in LDS Church News in 1998, stated that the Christ he believed in is not the same Christ as the one followed by those outside the LDS Church.
For Hinckley, Smith's divine visions allowed him access to a a higher truth. The phrase “the learned ministers of the gospel of the ages” could be interpreted as the disciplines of Christ, Paul, Matthew, Luke and the others. In that case, the statement would be very controversial indeed. The whole New Testament would be called into question.
In any event, the differences between Christian and Mormon faiths are routinely glossed over by missionaries. Yet the truth is that Mormon Church considers Christianity (as we know it ) as a corrupted religion.
As one source explains:
The third president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, John Taylor, in Journal of Discourses, states:
Another early leader who offered similar opinions was Orson Pratt. Pratt was an original member of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles, a part of the church hierarchy organized by the movement's founder. He expressed his undisguised dread of the Christian religion in this statement.
This is naturally something that missionaries do not openly reveal. Despite the recent assertions to the contrary, Mormons do not consider themselves to be another Christian sect, like say Lutherans, or Methodists. It is, according to the Encyclopedia of Mormonism, the only form of Christianity and all others are inferior.
This way of thinking is paralleled by followers of Islam who revere (but not worship) Moses, Abraham and Jesus, even Mary. islam added Mohammed as the prophet of their faith and the Mormons added Joseph Smith as their prophet.
The twelfth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1973 until his death in 1985, Spencer Woolley Kimball wrote in his book, Miracle of Forgiveness:
How this can possibly square with Christianity is difficult to comprehend. No other denomination of Christianity could ever make such a statement. The Nicene Creed which established the perimeters of the Christian faith in the year 325 states as a Christian oath:
As Minister Anselm Kyongsuk, in the book Dialectic of Salvation: Issues in Theology of Liberation, points out:
It is not an exaggeration then to say that the Mormon religion is essentially un-Christian.
While he does not speak for the Mormon Church, one Mormon, David V. Mason, an associate professor of theater at Rhodes College, frankly admitted this fact. In an op-ed piece published in The New York Times, Mason declares:
He also questioned why anybody would wish to be a Christian.
Missionaries and Church leaders would like traditional Christians to believe that the difference between the religions are superficial. However, a Mormon is no more Christian than any follower of Abrahamic line, like Judaism or Islam.
Attitudes about Race
If a reason for missionaries to be less than frank is their realization that the Book of Mormon contains many things that a Christian could not accept, there are also things in the book that a non-Christian or secularist outsider would also reject.
One particular example is the early church's racist teaching. The passage from the Mormon holy book appears to explain the reason why some people are black:
Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 7, p. 290, 1859, supports this racist view in clear terms.
Young connected the mark of Cain as the color of the black skin.
According to this discourse by the leader of the Mormon church and successor to Smith, slavery of the Negro was God’s decree, a divine punishment. This was not the only racist remark made by Young. Here’s another quote made in 1863:
But as it turned out, And as late as 1978, men of African descent were banned from its priesthood by the LDS church. This priestly position was open to nearly all Mormon males and the gateway to sacramental and leadership roles. Additionally the LDS church had also barred black men and women from temple ceremonies that promised access in the afterlife to the highest heaven. Why? Because people of African descent were denied access to heaven, at least until 1978. (It must have been quite a shock for all people in Mormon heaven. They had been promised an exclusive paradise, after all.)
In the opening of this post, I quoted Gordon B.Hinckley who stated in 1998, the founder Joseph Smith's vision allowed him to see Jesus with greater clarity than all of the previous Christian ministers.
However, apparently the Church leadership has in recent years begun to question those visions and, in an apparent attempt to mainline their religion into traditional Christian faiths, the leaders have been scratching out the more controversial aspects of Smith's (and Young's) spiritual views.
Here are a list of the revisions to the Mormon study guide, Gospel Principles. It’s interesting to see what has been added and removed.
Astoundingly, many of the unique teachings of the LDS Church have been excised. It’s like cutting off the unicorn’s horn for the sake of a pony. For example, there’s this revision.
Additionally all mention of Heavenly parents have been changed to Heavenly Father. In chapter 3 of the manual:
Why? Because up until recently, all Mormons believed (as they were told) that God was married. Now the Lord is bachelor, it appears. A divorcee or perhaps a widower? God knows.
The problem is, of course, that it will take a lot of revisions and those aspects are deeply woven into the fibre of the faith. All of the early Church leaders made definitive statements and all of those now must be rewritten or deleted.
And this, in turn, calls into question the whole idea of divine revelation. Were Joseph Smith and Brigham Young divinely inspired or were they wrong? It can't be both. After all, can divine revelations actually be revised by later generations for the sake of making the religion more widely acceptable? Isn’t that sacrilege? How can this be explained? And where does it stop? The revisions are not even claiming to be divinely inspired so how can they trump the visions and writings of the original founder and the early church leaders?
It also begs the question whether all those who came before and believed the "wrong" things have found salvation. How can the faith of then and the faith of now ever be reconciled?
And, for Mormons, it is only fair to ask, after all of the revisions are completed (if ever), what will be left of the faith? How will it be any different than any other Christian denomination, like Presbyterians, for example? How can the LDS leadership expect blind devotion when the principles of the faith can be change every season?
In George Orwell’s book, Nineteen-Eighty Four, the ruling autocratic government did very much the same thing. One day, everything you thought was true and unshakable, was suddenly dismantled by the Ministry of Truth and its opposite was put in its place. There’s was no outcry because it was all automatically accepted as “the new truth.” (Of course, it was never "new" in any sense. It was actually the replaced, revised truth and the old truth, once replaced, now no longer existed. Not only was the truth replaced but the history of that truth was also added.)
All past mention of the former information was deleted from the official (and sole) record. Truth is what the leadership dictated it to be and there is nothing in the world that can possibly contradict their version. As Orwell writes:
The idea is basically that if you can erase all evidence of the past, you can create a new past, cleaned and trouble-free.
So far the Mormon church has been able to get away with this tactic without much outrage by the congregation. The same strategy has not been a very successful for candidate Mitt Romney.
____________________________________
In the final post in this series, for the sake of argument, we ignore all of the evidence to the contrary and agree that the Church does not condone lying. However, if we are prepared to believe this, we are faced then with the challenging problem of Mormon Bishop Mitt Romney's conduct in the 2012 campaign and the sound of silence from Mormon leadership.
"And if the Gentiles wish to see a few tricks, we have “Mormons” that can perform them. We have the meanest devils on the earth in our midst, and we intend to ...
You visited this page on 8/27/12.
www.religioustolerance.org › ... › LDS Restorationist
Aug 31, 2008 – Brigham Young 1; "The Mountain Meadows Massacre stands without a parallel ... The year 1857 was a time of particularly high tension.
The Mountain Meadows massacre was a series of attacks on the ... In early 1857, several groups of emigrants from the northwestern Arkansas region started ...
"CHILDREN OF THE MASSACRE"
MAY MEET IN REUNION.
______
Arkansas' Great Tragedy, the
Mountain Meadows Slaughter
in Utah Recalled. ______
The Emigrants Murdered by Mormons
in 1857 Were Arkansas Pioneers. ______
WATCH: Obama Unleashes Devastating Attack On Romney
OBAMA GETS AGGRESSIVE..
MITT FIGHTS BACK..
THINGS GET TESTY
Obama Launches '47 Percent' Attack..
Romney's Bizarre Response
Truth about Mitt Romney - Mormonism and the Book of Mormons
Doctrines of the Latter Day Saints of deception (Mormons/LDS)
www.thepropheticyears.com/cults/mormons.HTM
(most of the following bullet statements were extracted from the Kingdom of the Cults, by Dr. Walter Martin). The Mormons believe in many gods - these gods ...
What Do Mormons Believe? An Introduction - Part 1 - YouTube | |||||
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MORMONISM DECLARED WAR ON CHRISTIANITY : Apprising ...
apprising.org/2012/04/20/mormonism-declared-war-on-christianity/
Apr 20, 2012 – Martin classified Mormonism as a non-Christian cult because: ... is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom.Hosea 4:6
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.
Freemason Billy Graham Launches Pro-Romney 'Biblical Values' Voter Ads - Mormons Don't Believe in the Bible
Prominent African-American Southern Baptist Condemns ...
ethicsdaily.com/prominent-african-american-southern-baptist-conde...
A prominent African-American Southern Baptist pastor hopes messengers at next week's annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention will pass a
resolution condemning Mormonism as racist.
The move by Dwight McKissic, a pastor in Arlington, Texas, comes as some Southern Baptist leaders attempt to rally support for Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, whose Mormonism makes some conservative evangelicals weary. McKissic posted the full text of his proposed resolution, which he sent to the SBC's Resolution Committee for consideration, earlier this
month on his blog. However, McKissic's resolution on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints could spark the most controversy as it places him at odds with claims made by other Southern Baptist leaders in the midst of a heated presidential campaign.
In the resolution, McKissic claims "growing awareness, acceptance and influence [of Mormonism] in contemporary American culture" will lead
"some to study or accept the Mormon Religion as valid." Thus, he urges Southern Baptists to speak out on the racial problems of the faith.
In addition to critiquing the Mormon adoption of authoritative books other than "the King James Holy Bible," McKissic's resolution claims that while "in 1978, the Mormon Church has denied and denounced racism
and agreed to permit Blacks to the priesthood, they are yet to denounce the racist teachings."
McKissic ends his resolution by having Southern Baptists declare that
"we repudiate the racist teachings recorded in The Book of Mormon and The Pearl of Great Price.
"This issue must be dealt with if Southern Baptists are to be consistent with what they have historically taught about Mormonism;"
McKissic wrote, "and if they are to be viewed by Black Baptists as simply finding Mitt Romney's Mormonism and the racist views of his Bible more tolerable than President Obama's skin color; this is how this
discussion is being played out in Black barber shops, Black beauty
salons and Black churches. If Southern Baptists support this resolution,it will say to the Black Community that they find Mitt Romney's
Mormonism and the racist views of his Bible abhorrent; but if they vote for him, it will be strictly because of philosophical and policy issues
and positions, and not a vote against President Obama's complexion."
Rick Santorum Called Mormonism 'Dangerous Cult' In Minds Of ...
MORMONISM CULT - Exposing Mormonism Cult
Expose Mitt Romney, Mormon cult member
www.exposemittromney.com/
Expose Mitt Romney is dedicated to exposing the duplicitous campaign being run by this high ranking member of the Mormon cult.
Mormon plan to establish a world theocracy from America.
ormon
Rising Christian Imperialism Fueled by Dominion Theology. The article is mainly about the danger of Far Right Christian dominionists gaining control after the Obama failure brings about a Far Right backlash in America.
Little did I know when I wrote it that there is already a plan in place to establish a world theocracy from America. It is part of Mormon prophetic doctrine. Now some might say that this is just some pipe dream of a cult. However, if you read this article you might not be so complacent. Mormons have been working toward that end for 160 years and they have infiltrated high levels of government especially top secret intelligence positions. One of their own Bishops, Mitt Romney, is still one of the top contenders for President of the United States in 2012.
Title: Republican Mitt Romney and the "Mormon Plan for America" ... LDS Prophet who was also priest and king over America. Not many Americans know that LDS founder ...
Exposing Satanism Witchcraft and the New World Order
www.exposingsatanism.org/mormons.htm
"To this truth seeker, this quote is very troublesome for a couple of fairly obvious reasons. ... Luciferian religion - and the parallels to Mormonism are totally stunning. .... to the FACTS of our Mormon history, nor the very real POSSIBILITY that the ... was Sovereign Pontiff of Universal Freemasonry, and Head of the Illuminati ..
The Oath of Vengeance against the American people and the ... the United States Senate to have Reed Smoot, a Mormon ... and avowed enemies of the American nation." (Confessions of ...
1857massacre.com/MMM/oath_of_
Mormonism is Luciferian & Masonic. April 25, 2012 (Designated GOP ... who consider themselves Republicans will not vote for a Mormon. They know it is a cult, but
... day Saints (sometimes known as the “Mormon Church” by the media). She is currently taking a religion ... “For in those days there shall also arise false ...
www.mormonbeliefs.org/3193/false-
"What evidence do you have that the Mormon Jesus and Satan ... below (note that Sata n is also
Romney's 'Family Came From a Polygamy Commune,' says ...
| |
www.thedailybeast.com/.../brian-schweitzer-mitt-romn...Apr 19, 2012 I am not alleging by any stretch that Romney is a polygamist and ... Romney's father, George—who | |
Romney’s ‘Family Came From a Polygamy Commune,’ says Montana Gov.
Mitt Romney will likely struggle nationally, particularly with women, because his father was “born on a polygamy commune in Mexico,” said Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer.
FACT CHECK: Romney on his dad growing up poor - Yahoo! News
news.yahoo.com/fact-check-romney-dad-growing-poor-205237369....
Miles Park Romney had five wives and 30 children, and fled to Mexico after passage of the 1882 Edmunson Act that barred polygamy. George Romney's father .
ROMNEY FAMILY FILES: FLED TO MEXICO TO PRACTICE POLYGAMY ...
gratewire.com › General Open Forum
Smith knew the affect it might have on his community and after polygamy began to ... Mitt Romney's father, George S. Romney was born in Mexico in the. Colonia ..
Daily Kos: Mitt Romney's Dad was on Welfare
www.dailykos.com/story/.../-Mitt-Romney-s-Dad-was-on-Welfare
Sep 5, 2012 – Interesting note, that I originally saw from a post on Buzzflash, was that George Romney, Mitt Romney's father, was on welfare early in his life,
Mitt Romney's father, George Romney, was public aid recipient as ...
www.boston.com/...romney-father-george-romney.../story.html
Sep 19, 2012 – But his own father was once among public aid recipients. As the Globe has previously reported, George Romney's family fled from Mexico in ...
Welfare Wasn't Always A Dirty Word In The Romney Family : It's All ...
www.npr.org/.../welfare-wasnt-always-a-dirty-word-in-the-romney-f...
Sep 19, 2012 – It was there that Mitt Romney's grandfather Gaskell and father, George, were born into an increasingly prosperous family and Mormon ..
George Romney, born on polygamist colony, touted as immigrant ...
www.sltrib.com/sltrib/politics/.../romney-born-george-craig.html.csp
Aug 30, 2012 – “It's easy to forget that the story of my father's success begins with the ... voters Thursday, drawing on his late grandfather, George Romney, ...
Introducing The 55 Wives Of Brigham Young
Brigham Young, Joseph Smith's successor as president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and prophet to Mitt Romney, had a tremendous number of wives, 55 total.
Joseph Smith instructed Young that plural marriage was a divine commandment that would bring a select number of righteous men tremendous blessings for eternity.
The sheer variety of Brigham Young's marriages makes it difficult to make sense of them. He married -- was sealed to, in Mormon parlance -- young (Clarissa Decker, 15) and old (Hannah Tapfield King, 65). He married single women and widows. Perhaps most unusually, he was sealed to his first two mothers-in-law. Perhaps most controversially, he
Is Mormonism a cult?
by Matt Slick
Yes, Mormonism is a cult. Mormonism, also called The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), is not considered to be Christian by Christians. In fact, Mormonism teaches the following non Christian, non biblical doctrines. (Note that all the documentation is taken from Mormon writers and Mormon scriptures.)
- God used to be a man on another planet, (Mormon Doctrine, p. 321; Joseph Smith, Times and Seasons, vol. 5, p. 613-614; Orson Pratt, Journal of Discourses, vol. 2, p. 345; Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, vol. 7, p. 333).
- God resides near a star called Kolob, (Pearl of Great Price, p. 34-35; Mormon Doctrine, p. 428).
- "The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s..." (Doctrines and Covenants 130:22).
- God is in the form of a man, (Joseph Smith, Journal of Discourses, vol. 6, p. 3).
- "God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens!!! . . . We have imagined that God was God from all eternity. I will refute that idea and take away the veil, so that you may see," (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 345).
- After you become a good Mormon, you have the potential of becoming a god, (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 345-347, 354.)
- There is a mother god, (Articles of Faith, by James Talmage, p. 443).
- God is married to his goddess wife and has spirit children, (Mormon Doctrine, p. 516).
- The trinity is three separate Gods: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. "That these three are separate individuals, physically distinct from each other, is demonstrated by the accepted records of divine dealings with man," (Articles of Faith, by James Talmage, p. 35.).
In contrast to these teachings, Christianity the Bible teaches that God has always been God and was never a man (Psalm 90:2). The Bible no where says he lives near another star or that the Father has a body of flesh and bones -- which Christ contradicted in John 4:24 and Luke 24:39. We do not have the potential of becoming gods because there are no gods formed (Isaiah 43:10; 44:6,8; 45:5). The Trinity is one God (Deut. 6:4), not three.
There are numerous books written about Mormonism from a biblical perspective, exposing its false teachings.
Of course, we do not hate the Mormons and we pray for their repentance from believing in false gods. But, Mormonism is not Christian.
The Order of the Illuminati: Its Origins, Its Methods and Its Influence ...
secretarcana.com/.../the-order-of-the-illuminati-its-origins-its-method...
As the number of people asking that question has grown, facts about the Order ... tasks to accomplish in order to prepare them to take action in the “real world”. ... A definite alliance between the Illuminati and Freemasonry became possible in ...... Illuminati process reminds me a lot of Mormonism/LDS church style which no .
Statement by the Southern Baptist
By Adam Miller / Baptist Press
Friday, February 26, 2010
As one Mormon candidate launches his White House bid, the Southern Baptist official ... points out, the Latter-day Saints ... is that Mormons do not know the real Jesus of the Bible.
Southern Baptist Convention warns Christians about teachings of Mormonism
Apapepress
February 15, 2007
By Allie Martin
Rob Bowman with the North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) says Christians need to be aware that the beliefs of the Mormon Church are inconsistent with biblical Christianity. As one Mormon candidate launches his White House bid, the Southern Baptist official is urging Christians to take advantage of materials his denomination offers that teach the truth about Mormonism.
As former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney officially announced his presidential candidacy this week, a cover story in USA Today looked at the beliefs of the Mormon Church, formally known as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Rob Bowman, manager of the apologetics and interfaith evangelism department of the SBC’s North American Mission Board (NAMB), thinks Christians would be wise to take an even closer look at the Mormons, lest any be deceived about the nature and tenets of that religious group. He says although the Mormon Church wages an expensive public relations campaign, using terms familiar to appeal to evangelicals, the core teachings of the church do not line up with scripture and are inconsistent with evangelical Christianity.
For this reason, Bowman says the SBC has for decades offered, through its various entities, information resources focusing on the Mormon Church. Many of these resources detail the differences between Christian and Mormon beliefs — of which there are many, the NAMB official observes.
For example, Bowman notes, "In 15 short years, [Mormon Church founder] Joseph Smith went from being a thoroughgoing monotheist, a believer in one god, to a thoroughgoing polytheist, teaching the existence of many gods." Also, he points out, the Latter-day Saints teach that humans can achieve godhood by joining the church and taking part in specific deeds and ceremonies.
Such divergent beliefs are among the reasons, the NAMB official asserts, why Christians must know the Bible, so as not to be fooled by non-biblical Mormon teachings. As for the Mormon Church members themselves, he adds, "Our concern is that they don’t really know the God of the Bible. So we’re concerned for their salvation."
The concern of Bible-believing Christians is that Mormons do not know the real Jesus of scripture, Bowman explains. The SBC’s desire, he says, is not only to see evangelicals learn about the differences between Mormonism and Christianity but also to see Mormons come to know Jesus and have an authentic relationship with Him.
Evangelical Theologian: Bottom Line is Mormons are not Christians
Michelle Vu
Christian Post Reporter
July 27 2007
Mormons believe in a false gospel and are not Christians, concluded one of the nation’s preeminent evangelicals in what appeared to be the close of an online debate over Mormonism.
“Here is the bottom line. As an Evangelical Christian – a Christian who holds to the ‘traditional Christian orthodoxy’ of the Church – I do not believe that Mormonism leads to salvation,” wrote Dr. R. Albert Mohler, Jr., president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, on Wednesday evening.
“To the contrary, I believe that it is a false gospel that, however sincere and kind its adherents may be, leads to eternal death rather than to eternal life,” he stated.
Mohler’s response is part of an ongoing “blog dialogue” sponsored by the Web site Beliefnet.com. Since June 28, the evangelical scholar and prominent Mormon science-fiction writer Orson Scott Card have been debating whether Mormons can be considered Christians.
During the course of the debate, Card focused on whether Mormons are moral people, good citizens and why Mormon presidential candidate Mitt Romney should be supported by evangelicals. He emphasized that Mormons share many of the same values as evangelical Christians and believe Jesus Christ is the only path to salvation.
However, Mohler noted that whether a Mormon has similar moral values to evangelical Christians is beside the point because Beliefnet.com had asked whether Mormons can be considered Christians based on traditional Christian orthodoxy.
“It appears that we are not really discussing the same question,” noted Mohler in his latest blog response.
“The debate has never been about whether Mormons are good Americans or would make good neighbors,” he wrote.
“I dare say that most American Evangelicals and traditional Roman Catholics would find more in common with Mormons in terms of child-rearing, sexual morality, the protection of marriage and family, and a host of other issues, than they would with liberal Catholics or liberal Protestants,” acknowledged Mohler.
But Mormonism from its beginning has rejected traditional Christian orthodoxy, which is part of the core Mormon identity, pointed out the highly-respected theologian. The subtitle of The Book of Mormon is “Another Testament of Jesus Christ.”
“A ‘testament,’ that is, other than that accepted by the historic Christian churches,” Mohler highlighted.
Mohler – who is often seen on “Larry King Live” and other popular news show representing the Christian voice – concluded that Mormonism is not just another form of Christianity and is incompatible with “traditional Christian orthodoxy.”
Mormon defender Card readily agrees with Mohler that Mormons do not fit into the Christian category as defined by traditional Christian orthodoxy. However, he argues that Mormons should be considered “nontraditional Christians.”
“Despite our deep differences of belief over the nature of God and his plans for his children, we recognize that those who believe in the other Christian faiths have taken a giant step closer to fulfilling the intentions of our Lord,” wrote Card on Thursday. “They are, in heart and mind, Christians.”
He further added, “We ask only the same favor in return. Let’s take that word ‘traditional’ and make use of it. Instead of saying that we are ‘not Christian’…let us agree that Mormons are ‘nontraditional Christians.’”
Card looked back on Christian history when Protestant Christian denominations were not accepted as part of the traditional church according to the Catholic viewpoint, and was even condemned guilty of heresy.
He concluded: “Call us ‘nontraditional Christians’ and continue to encourage your communicants not to believe our doctrines. We’ll happily continue to call you ‘traditional Christians’ and teach people why they should believe our doctrines.”
The Mormon defender ended by calling for unity in a world where Christians are persecuted and expressed appreciation that Dr. Mohler affirmed that Mormons should be equally considered for American public offices regardless of theological difference.
Basic beliefs of Mormons explained
By Mike Licona
NAMB, Director, Apologetics and Interfaith Evangelism
Updated Monday, April 07, 2008
Mormonism started in 1830 with 24-year-old year old Joseph Smith Jr. According to Smith, he had several experiences, during which God, Jesus, and the angel Moroni gave him instructions. Part of the instructions was to dig up some gold plates buried by the angel Moroni around A.D. 400 on a hill just outside of Smith's town of Palmyra, New York. Smith dug up the plates, claimed they were written in "Reformed Egyptian," and that God had given him the ability to translate them. This translation became known as the Book of Mormon, an account of the ancient inhabitants of North America between 600 B.C. and A.D. 400.
Mormons have four sources of authority: the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Pearl of Great Price, and Doctrine and Covenants. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has become one of the fastest-growing religions in the world. The church owns Brigham Young University.
Mormon beliefs are fundamentally different from biblical Christianity.
1. God. Once a human as we are now, and progressed to become God. He is one of many gods.
2. Man. Has the ability to progress and become a god just as Jehovah did.
3. Marriage. Polygamy is no longer advocated, although it once was encouraged.
4. Jesus. The son of God, but not part of the Godhead. Mormons do not believe in the Trinity.
Mormons are very sincere about their faith. Conversations with Mormon missionaries promise to be cordial. Mormon scholars, such as those at Brigham Young University, are well aware of the challenges which face Mormonism.
What do Mormons tell you when they visit?
When Mormons visit you, they usually will not focus on the doctrines previously mentioned. In fact, they probably will not even bring them up during the first few meetings. Instead they will seek to find common ground with you on many of the doctrines Christians believe. For example, they may begin by saying that God revealed the Old Testament through Moses and the prophets. Then Jesus came, was crucified and resurrected. His disciples wrote books and letters that became the New Testament. We all agree on these facts.
Then the differences begin. They will tell you that before Jesus' ascension into heaven, He appeared to the inhabitants of North America and gave them the gospel as well. His message and the history of these inhabitants from 600 B.C. to A.D. 400 are recorded in the Book of Mormon.
Furthermore, they will tell you that since the apostles were not replaced when they were killed, the Church went into apostasy. In other words, it abandoned the true faith, and consequently, a restoration was necessary. Mormons believe that God chose Joseph Smith to bring that restoration; therefore, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the true Church.
How to answer Mormons
Mormons are well equipped to answer many of the issues Christians bring to their attention and have answers adequate to silence the average critic. The Mormon missionaries who come to your door are cordial and will listen to what you have to say. Enjoy the opportunity to share your faith with them, but be prepared by having good answers. Although there are many issues, which you may bring to the Mormons' attention, focus on four that are of primary importance:
A. The Bible is reliable. Mormons claim that the Bible has been corrupted over the years as evidenced by the many different translations. How do we know that the Bible we have today is the same as it was 2,000 years ago? The original words of the Bible have been preserved with remarkable purity and that its accuracy has been confirmed by both history and archaeology. Variances among English translations do not call into question the preservation of the Bible over the years. Until you have shown this to a Mormon, it is useless to point out that some Mormon doctrines differ from the Bible. They will only respond that the Bible is unreliable.
B. There is no archaeological confirmation of the Book of Mormon. While the spade of the archaeologist has confirmed many places and peoples mentioned in the Bible, it has not been at all favorable to the Book of Mormon. Although Mormons will confidently assert that archaeology has confirmed the Book of Mormon's accuracy time and time again, professional archaeologists have arrived at quite a different conclusion.
C. The Book of Abraham is a fraud. The Book of Abraham is one of the books in the Pearl of Great Price, one of Mormonism's scriptures. Joseph Smith purchased some ancient Egyptian papyri and claimed it was an original book penned by Abraham himself while in Egypt. He translated it allegedly by the same gift, which God had given him to translate the Book of Mormon. Professional Egyptologists have translated the papyri since their rediscovery in 1967. Their translations bear no resemblance to Smith's translation, exposing him as a charlatan.
D. Evidence for Mormonism? Mormons are convinced that Mormonism is true because the inward testimony of God tells them so. If you are going to be effective when talking to Mormons, it is crucial that you address this issue. Otherwise, no amount of solid evidence, which testifies against Mormonism, will be of help to them.
(EDITOR'S NOTE - The North American Mission Board's apologetics web site, www.4truth.net, carries much more information about many brands of religion.
Romney's LDS faith makes him a 'cult' member, Texas pastor says
By Peggy Fletcher Stack
The Salt Lake Tribune
09/26/2008
WASHINGTON - Evangelicals who believe the country needs a Christian in the White House but promoted Mitt Romney's candidacy during the Republican primaries were hypocrites, according to a Texas pastor.
Romney, a Mormon, is not a Christian, the Rev. Robert Jeffress said, but a member of a "cult."
"I believe we should always support a Christian over a non-Christian," Jeffress, pastor of First Baptist Church of Dallas, told a packed audience of journalists at last weekend's Religion Newswriters Association (RNA) annual meeting. "The value of electing a Christian goes beyond public policies. . . . Christians are uniquely favored by God, [while] Mormons, Hindus and Muslims worship a false god. The eternal consequences outweigh political ones. It is worse to legitimize a faith that would lead people to a separation from God."
Jeffress made his remarks during a luncheon debate with Jay Sekulow, chief counsel for the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), a law firm and educational organization that focuses on religious-liberty issues. The DeMoss Group, a Christian public-relations firm in Duluth, Ga., sponsored the event.
Sekulow, who also disagrees with Mormon theology but supported Romney's candidacy, argued he would rather have a president who promoted a conservative political agenda than one who shared his doctrinal positions.
"Jimmy Carter ran as a born-again Christian," Sekulow reasoned, "but his presidency did nothing for the issues I care about."
Mark DeMoss, the company's president, opened the session by describing his decision to lead Romney's outreach to conservative Christians. DeMoss said he had come to admire Romney, despite their theological differences, but was amazed at the vehement opposition to the Mormon's candidacy among Evangelicals.
"When making the choice of candidate for president, I don't care how different the person's theology is from mine, just like I don't care about my doctor's theology or the guy's who built my house or the architect's," DeMoss said in an interview this week. "I'm challenging people who would oppose a Mormon because he's a Mormon, but I'm also challenging people who would instantly embrace a Southern Baptist because he's a Southern Baptist. Both conclusions are bad."
DeMoss said he doesn't mind when people come to different conclusions about which candidate to support, but hopes as least "they're thinking."
The lively debate seemed to prove his point.
"It was one of the more spirited lunch discussions we've ever had at RNA," said RNA president Kevin Eckstrom, who noted that the journalist organization did not organize the event. "A lot of people were uncomfortable with what Dr. Jeffress said about Mormons, but what we were hoping for was something provocative that would get people talking, and certainly this did it."
Many reporters said they had never heard the word "cult," which Jeffress repeatedly called the LDS Church, used so "freely and recklessly," said Eckstrom, editor of Religion News Service in Washington, D.C. But Jeffress used the same word to describe "Catholics, Hindus, Buddhists and virtually everyone else."
It was useful for reporters to be aware of such strident views, Eckstrom said, because they are "completely mainstream in a lot of evangelical quarters."
First Baptist of Dallas "is not a backwater pulpit somewhere. It is a major church in Texas and in Southern Baptist circles," Eckstrom said. "It's a huge institution and a lot of followers. He's not just spouting these opinions for himself but proud of the fact that he was going back to his congregation and declare every other religion was wrong, and at least 10,000 people hear this position every week."
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints insists that it is a Christian faith, though not a traditional brand of Christianity. LDS officials today declined to comment on Jeffress' statements until they see a transcript of the remarks, spokeswoman Kim Farah said.
Apologetics
www.raptureready.com/rap40b.html
The leader of this hate mongering, white-supremacist, racist cult is Arnold Murray. ... He teaches the common Mormon (LDS) doctrine that men preexisted time.
GOP Hopeful Mike Huckabee - Mormons Believe Jesus, Devil Are Brothers ... the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said Huckabee ... was a cult. "I'm ...
www.foxnews.com/story/
Mike Huckabee Makes Amends on Mormonism: The evangelical, who previously trafficked in anti-Mormon tropes, validated Romney’s religion in his RNC speech
Mitt Romney 2012?
Romney, Mormonism & America
My ancestors came west with the Mormon wagon train. I was born andf lived in Utah. If you believe in the Bible, the Mormon religion is a false religion
Black Mormons Face Tough Election Choice Between Romney And ...
www.huffingtonpost.com/.../black-mormons-election-romn...
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Jun 12, 2012 – "I've been black my whole life and a Mormon for 30 years and never thought ...Until 1978, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints barred blacks from its all-male priesthood. After that landmark shift 34 years ago, missionaries found some success winning black converts, but African-Americans still represent only about 3 percent of the Mormons' 6 million U.S. members. The Black race is curse and should slaves |
This letter ought to shock anyone into recognizing the racism of the LDS church. Letter to Gov. George Romney from Bishop Delbert Stapley
http://www2.ldsfreedom.org/sites/default/files/delbert_stapley.pdf
What the Book of Mormon say about Race
- 1 Nephi 11:13 (Mary) ". . . she was exceedingly fair and white."
- 1 Nephi 12:23 (Prophecy of Lamanites after Christ) ". . . became a dark, and loathsome, and a filthy people, full of idleness and all manner of abominations."
- 1 Nephi 13:15 (Gentiles) ". . . they were white, and exceedingly fair and beautiful, like unto my people [Nephites] before they were slain."
- 2 Nephi 5:21 ". . . a
sore cursing . . . as they were white, and exceedingly fair and delightsome, that they might not be enticing unto my people the Lord God did cause a skin of blackness to come upon them." - 2 Nephi 30:6 (Prophecy to Lamanites) ". . . scales of darkness shall begin to fall . . . they shall be a white and delightsome people." (Changed to pure and delightsome in 1981)
- Jacob 3:5 (Lamanites cursed) ". . .whom ye hate because of their filthiness and the cursing which hath come upon their skins. . ."
- Jacob 3:8-9 ". . .their skins will be whiter than yours . . . revile no more against them because of the darkness of their skins . . ."
- Alma 3:6 ". . . skins of the Lamanites were dark, according to the mark which was set upon their fathers, which was a curse upon them because of their transgression and their rebellion. . ."
- Alma 3:8 (Cursed) ". . .that their seed might be distinguished from the seed of their brethren . . .that they might not mix . . ."
- Alma 3:9 ". . . whosoever did
mingle his seed with that of the Lamanites did bring the same curse upon his seed." - Alma 3:14 (Lamanites cursed) ". . . set a mark on them that they and their seed may be separated from thee and thy seed. . ."
- Alma 3:19 (Amlicites cursed) ". . . brought upon themselves the curse ..."
- Alma 23:18 ". . . [Lamanites] did open a correspondence with them [Nephites] and the curse of God did no more follow them."
- 3 Nephi 2:14-16 ". . . Lamanites who had united with the Nephites were numbered among the Nephites; And their curse was taken from them, and their skin became white like unto the Nephites . . . became exceedingly fair . . ."
- 3 Nephi 19:25, 30 (Disciples) ". . . they were as white as the countenance and also the garments of Jesus; and behold the whiteness thereof did exceed all the whiteness . . . nothing upon earth so white as the whiteness thereof . . . they were white, even as Jesus."
- Mormon 5:15 (Prophecy about Lamanites) ". . .shall become a dark, a filthy, and a loathsome people, beyond the description of that which ever hath been amongst us . . ."
- Mormon 5:17 "They were once a delightsome people . . ."
Mitt Romney, being a priest and a high ranking bishop must believe that these racist scriptures in the Book of Mormon are true. In order to be a bishop or a Mormon you must believe in the Book of Mormon. It stands to reason that Mitt Romney is Racist or else he would renounce Joseph Smith teachings and the Book of Mormon.
White Blood Mixed with Negro Blood Brings Death on the Spot
Journal of Discourses 10:110-111; “Shall I tell you the law of God in regard to the African race? If the white man who belongs to the chosen seed mixes his blood with the seed of Cain, the penalty, under the law of God, is death on the spot. This will always be so.” – Brigham Young, Salt Lake City, March 8, 1863Romans 8:1; “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”
Curse of Cain
Brigham Young the Second Prophet said this:
"You see some classes of the human family that are black, uncouth, uncomely, disagreeable and low in their habits, wild, and seemingly deprived of nearly all the blessings of the intelligence that is generally bestowed upon mankind....Cain slew his brother. Cain might have been killed, and that would have put a termination to that line of human beings. This was not to be, and the Lord put a mark upon him, which is the flat nose and black skin." (Journal of Discourses, vol. 7, p. 290).
"In our first settlement in Missouri, it was said by our enemies that we intended to tamper with the slaves, not that we had any idea of the kind, for such a thing never entered our minds. We knew that the children of Ham were to be the "servant of servants," and no power under heaven could hinder it, so long as the Lord would permit them to welter under the curse and those were known to be our religious views concerning them." (Journal of Discourses, vol. 2, p. 172).
"Shall I tell you the law of God in regard to the African race? If the white man who belongs to the chosen seed mixes his blood with the seed of Cain, the penalty, under the law of God, is death on the spot. This will always be so." (Journal of Discourses, vol. 10, p. 110).
How could any person of color embrace Mormonism? It is a blatantly racist religion and Lawrence O'Donnell lets loose about it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlQEtksXJRI&feature=related
If Mormons believe in an all knowing and infallible God, how do they reconcile teaching polygamy and black inferiority as a religious truth -- as an edict their prophets received direct from the mouth of God but then after 1978 it's no longer a religious truth. If Mormons believe in God that ought to tell them that these men posing as prophets are not prophets but ordinary men, making up stuff, attributing it to God, in order to get you to believe it's true.
The truth doesn't change. If was God's truth as transmitted through Mormon prophets pre-1978 how did it become an untruth after 1978? I'll tell you how -- it was never truth in the first place and it was not of God in the first place (it was of man). I submit Mormonism is a made up proposition brought to us by a couple of men calling themselves prophets/latter day saints.
I recommend the following 2 part Frontline documentary to everyone for an indepth look at the history of Mormonism. http://video.pbs.org/video/1460817958
If the Book of Mormon is false, then Joseph Smith must have been a false prophet. ... admitted to me that they knew Mormonism was a false religion
I do not think it is a coincidence that many of the main beliefs of the Mormon religion are the exact opposite of what we believe in as Christians. These false beliefs .
Mormonism is a false Religion. Posted in the Top Stories Forum ... just a few things that they believe and that are written in the book of Mormon.
Is Joseph Smith a false prophet, or the real deal? Former Mormon ... Christ until they are able to recognize that their religion .
Understanding Mormonism: The Sex Cult
www.jesus-is-savior.com/False%20Religions/Mormons/sex_cult.htm
Mormonism is a Freemasonry demonic cult (founded in 1830 by charlatan, con-
ARNOLD MURRAY ~ SHEPHERDS CHAPEL in Cults & Sects Forum
cbrefugeecamp.yuku.com/.../ARNOLD-MURRAY-SHEPHERDS-CH...
Sep 7, 2011 – I wouldn't go as far as calling him a closet Mormon, but Dob is absolutely correct about the connection. Have you ever read the Mormon Book of Abraham? ... be God's word than to ever take your word or Arnold Murray's word
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www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHG9ZBSuixAMay 17, 2012 - 15 min - Uploaded by vudumojo The Truth About Arnold Murray. ... asure you that it is not me..i am sometimes surprised that i can connect the .. | |
The Quarterly Journal Index: Feature Articles
www.pfo.org/res2a.htm
And Ye Shall Be As God – The Mormons' Strange Salvation ... Arnold Murray and the Shepherd's Chapel – Examining the Strange Teaching of the Grandfather of Denial Arnold ..... The Lamsa Connection - The Origin of Wierwille's False Christ ..
"Cults & Religions" - Information - Cults and Doctrines
gospelbiblepaths.50webs.com/index_6.html
And text links from most listings, connect them with other listings relative to their subject matter; providing ... Practice of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter–day Saints (LDS) whereby living members are ...... Shepherds Chapel, Arnold Murray: ..
Evangelical Baptist Pastor: 'Mormonism Is a Cult, Mitt Romney Is Not ...
www.christianpost.com/.../evangelical-baptist-pastor-mormonism-is-a...
Oct 7, 2011 – Robert Jeffress, the evangelical pastor of First Baptist Dallas, said Mitt Romney is not a Christian and Mormonism is a cult, after introducing Rick
CULTWATCH - Mormonism
www.cultwatch.com/mormon.html
Mormomism claims to be a branch of Christianity, but this comparison of their beliefs show they are something wildly different. Some will be shocked, but it is ..
Mormons also believe:
God was once a man just like us but became God
God had actual sex with Mary
ALL other religions are of the Devil
Blood atonement
United Order
The entire Temple Endowment
The Garden of Eden being in Missouri
The sun and the moon are inhabited, because God would never let so much space go to waste.
The flood story and the Tower of Babel story are literal.
Evolution is false.
Apparent dinosaur fossils are the machinations of Satan. He shaped rocks as if they had been bones of past giants to deceive the very elect.
Satan can't enter the temple.
Satan has control of the waters.
Satan can't read your mind.
In the celestial kingdom we'll all have personal seer stones.
The Elders will save the constitution.
Christ will establish new Zion in Missouri.
Just a few of the hundreds of sites on what Mormons believe...
Do you really want Mitt Romney in office? Why not a Scientologist or Satanist?..
http://www.lifeaftermormonism.net/profiles/blogs/101-nonpublic-or-weird-beliefs-of-mormons
http://www.top10craziestmormonbeliefs.com/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ip4qQnz2fFo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKqqGX0DEMM&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuSde2jGhm8&feature=related
Mormon Underwear. Known to some is the fact that members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (or Mormon Church) wear a special kind of underwear in ...
www.ldschurchtemples.com/mormon/
Mormon underwear, you may ask what does this have to do with the Mountain Meadows Massacre? Well the underwear as far as I know is insignificant in reference to the
Joseph Smith and Kabbalah: The Occult Connection
www.gnosis.org/jskabb1.htm
An award winning historical examination of Joseph Smith, the founding prophet of Mormonism, and his relationship with the occult traditions of Gnosticism,
Life After Ministry
Leading Mormons to the REAL Jesus Christ
Signs of a Cult – Is Mormonism a Cult?
The Mormon Plan for America & the Rise of Mitt Romney
Learn why Mormonism and the United States Presidency Won't Ever Mix
God of the Bible & Mormon god Compared
The Heavenly Father of Mormonism is not spirit - John 4:24Polygamy Quotes
Polygamy & Mormon Church Leaders
Testing for Truth
How you can know and trust what God has to say in His wordAll about Joseph Smith
Church leaders have said that without the vision of Joseph Smith, they'd have nothing so let's take a look at some of the things of Joseph
Videos of What They’re Hiding: Mormon Temple Rituals on Hidden Camera
Mormon Terminology vs. Biblical Terminology
Mentoring Handbook
Mormon Bishops
Joseph Smith; Magic, Masonry and the Occult
1,000+ Mormon Quotes
Temple Endowment Ceremonies & Clothing
False Prophecies of Joseph Smith
False Prophecies of the Mormon Church
Mormon Dilemmas
Book of Mormon Witnesses
The Bible & Mormonism
The Cross & Mormonism
600 BC Jerusalem
Book of Mormon; Fullness of the Gospel?
Book of Mormon Basics
Why I Left the Mormon Church & Resignation Letter
The Making of Mormon Spirit Babies
The Mormon Jesus and Lucifer are Brothers
Unequally Yoked
Women & Mormonism
Heavenly Mother, Goddess Wife
Ishtar, an Assyrian and Babylonian Goddess known as the
Will the Real Joseph Smith Please Stand Up?
Moroni
Occult Markings on Mormon Temples
Necromancy in Mormonism
Mitt Romney, Lies and The Mormon Church 2/3
Reprint by Nomad http://nomadicpolitics.blogspot.com/2012/07/mitt-romney-lies-and-mormon-church-23.htmlIn Part One, we traced the strange origins of the Mitt Romney's Mormon faith and asked if the entire religion was a hoax perpetrated on 19th century victims. Let’s begin part two with what would seem at first glance to be a question with an obvious answer.
Is lying aceptable to the present-Day Mormon Church?
This is perhaps a more essential question since, no matter how it may have begun, the true value of any religion lies in what it has become and what it teaches its followers. And as far I can tell, no religion officially accepts the practice of lying. (Even Satanists are probably supposed to be truthful to one another, I'd imagine.)
The strongest criticism of the Mormon Church comes, not from other religions, atheists or outsiders, but from ex-Mormons. Former ex-high priest Park Romney, the cousin of the presidential candidate, has been quite open about this subject. He told BBC,
"There's compelling evidence that the Mormon Church leaders knowingly and willfully misrepresent the historical truth of their origins and of the Church for the purpose of deceiving their members into a state of mind that renders them exploitable."
What that precise evidence was is not mentioned. Outside of the history of the formation of the religion, there are other things that Church leaders would prefer not to reveal.
For the Mormon, loyalty and the welfare of the church are more important than the principle of honesty, and plausible denials and deception by omission are warranted by an opportunity to have the Mormon organization seen in the best possible light. .. "Lying for the lord" is part of Mormonism's larger deceptive mainstreaming tactics, and conversion numbers would drastically lower if important Mormon beliefs were fully disclosed to investigators.
Naturally the whole idea of Lying for the Lord is disputed by the elders of the Church. It simply doesn't exist, they say, and if missionaries misrepresent the religion is merely because they are a bit too eager or they are not fully versed. Perhaps, that's true.
However, Loren Franck, a full-time Mormon missionary from 1975 to 1977, freely admits that she lied for the church regularly. Some of the lies she listed were simply a matter of doctrinal differences between the traditional Christian Church and the Mormon faith. Others were more serious misrepresentations of the faith.
For decades, the Mormon Church has tried to blend with mainstream Christianity. Accordingly, during my mission a quarter-century ago, I worked hard to convince prospects that Mormons believe in the biblical Jesus.
(As we shall see, her statement conflicts with what Mormon president Gordon B. Hinckley stated categorically- that the Mormon idea of Jesus was unique and unlike the traditional view held by most Christians. He implied that true enlightenment can only come through Joseph Smith and not through the Bible.)
All of this dances around the real question. What is it about the Mormon faith that missionaries feel that they must conceal?
The Principle of Eternal Progression
One staggering fact that Franck mentions that missionaries hide from potential converts is the doctrine that people can become gods. And conversely, God was once a man. Not only that, God was born on a planet called Kolob or at least He has a throne in the neighborhood. (h/t to Nathan.) At least that’s according to the Pearl of Great Price, an early collection of church-recognized doctrines, produced by Smith. It is considered part of the canon of Mormonism.
Regarding the God-man relationship, modern Church leaders tend to dissemble about this particular point but this Mormon tenet was taught by all of the early fathers. The book, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith explains:
After you become a good Mormon, you have the potential of becoming a god.
The fifth LDS President Lorenzo Snow in 1840 reportedly said,
"As man is, God once was. As God is, man may become."
Orson Hyde, a leader in the early Latter Day Saint movement and an original member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, sketched this unusual image of God:
“Remember that God, our heavenly Father, was perhaps once a child, and mortal like we ourselves, and rose step by step in the scale of progress, in the school of advancement; has moved forward and overcome, until He has arrived at the point where He now is.” Franck said, as a missionary, it was understandably not discussed with potential converts.
Given its explosive nature, this tenet was rarely shared with prospective converts. Missionaries try to entice people into Mormonism gradually, and presenting the doctrine of plural gods -and the Lord as a bit too human- is seldom the best way. Several contacts learned the concept from their pastors or read about it on their own, but it was new to most prospects. For most traditional Christians, the concept of God and Man being only a matter of degrees in progression is certainly blasphemous.
Most Christians would reflexively reject the notion with a shudder.
Attitudes towards Christianity
Many people who know a little about Mormonism know that, unlike traditional Christian faiths, members of this faith do not use the symbol of the cross. There are many reasons given for this. But the usual one is that they prefer to concentrate on the birth and resurrection of Christ rather than his death on the cross.
Of all the symbols of Christianity, the cross is the most identifiable. In fact, there are many more important differences between the Christian faith and Mormonism.
Despite the current public relations campaign Mormons have long been taught that their religion is superior to all other religions, including Christianity.
As one source explains:
Mormons teach that the church fell into darkness shortly after Christ’s ascension and was only restored through the person and actions of Joseph Smith, some eighteen hundred years later. The only true Christians in this view are Mormons.
Mormon's 15th president Gordon B.Hinckley, as reported in LDS Church News in 1998, stated that the Christ he believed in is not the same Christ as the one followed by those outside the LDS Church.
"For the Christ of whom I speak has been revealed in this, the Dispensation of the Fulness [sic] of Times. He, together with His Father, appeared to the boy Joseph Smith in the year 1820, and when Joseph left the grove that day, he knew more of the nature of God than all the learned ministers of the gospel of the ages"
For Hinckley, Smith's divine visions allowed him access to a a higher truth. The phrase “the learned ministers of the gospel of the ages” could be interpreted as the disciplines of Christ, Paul, Matthew, Luke and the others. In that case, the statement would be very controversial indeed. The whole New Testament would be called into question.
In any event, the differences between Christian and Mormon faiths are routinely glossed over by missionaries. Yet the truth is that Mormon Church considers Christianity (as we know it ) as a corrupted religion.
As one source explains:
Early Mormon leaders were quite candid about the differences between LDS doctrine and Christian doctrine. One example is the 1820 First Vision account Hinckley cited which is also recorded in LDS Scripture. In relating this vision, Mormon Church founder, Joseph Smith, makes a similar point to Hinckley's. Smith said that Jesus told him that all of the creeds of existing Christianity were "an abomination in his sight." These Christian creeds would, of course, include those that describe the essential attributes and identity of the Jesus worshipped by traditional Christians.
The third president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, John Taylor, in Journal of Discourses, states:
“There is not nation now that acknowledges that hand of God; there is not a king, potentate, nor ruler that acknowledges his jurisdiction. We talk about Christianity, but it is a perfect pack of nonsense. Men talk about civilization; but I do not want to say much about that, for I have seen enough of it. Myself and hundreds of the Elders around me have seen its pomp, parade, and glory; and what is it? It is a sounding brass and a tinkling symbol; it is as corrupt as hell; and the Devil could not invent a better engine to spread his work that the Christianity of the nineteenth century.”
Another early leader who offered similar opinions was Orson Pratt. Pratt was an original member of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles, a part of the church hierarchy organized by the movement's founder. He expressed his undisguised dread of the Christian religion in this statement.
“This class of men, calling themselves Christian, uniting with the various forms of the pagan religion, adopting many of their ceremonies and institutions, became very popular, and finally some of the pagans embraced Christianity and were placed, as it were, upon the throne, and what they termed Christianity became very popular indeed. How long has this order of things existed, this dreadful apostacy, this class of people that pronounced themselves Zion, or Christians, without any of the characteristics of Zion? It has existed for some sixteen or seventeen centuries.”
This is naturally something that missionaries do not openly reveal. Despite the recent assertions to the contrary, Mormons do not consider themselves to be another Christian sect, like say Lutherans, or Methodists. It is, according to the Encyclopedia of Mormonism, the only form of Christianity and all others are inferior.
“The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints does not see itself as one Christian denomination among many, but rather as God's latter-day restoration of the fullness of Christian faith and practice…Other forms of Christianity…are viewed as incomplete...
This way of thinking is paralleled by followers of Islam who revere (but not worship) Moses, Abraham and Jesus, even Mary. islam added Mohammed as the prophet of their faith and the Mormons added Joseph Smith as their prophet.
The twelfth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1973 until his death in 1985, Spencer Woolley Kimball wrote in his book, Miracle of Forgiveness:
"One of the most fallacious doctrines originated by Satan and propounded by man is that man is saved alone by the grace of God; that belief in Jesus Christ alone is all that is needed for salvation."
How this can possibly square with Christianity is difficult to comprehend. No other denomination of Christianity could ever make such a statement. The Nicene Creed which established the perimeters of the Christian faith in the year 325 states as a Christian oath:
And [I believe] in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Only-begotten, begotten of the Father before all worlds, light of light, very God of very God, begotten not made, of one essence with the Father, by whom all things were made: Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven, and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became man. . . .
As Minister Anselm Kyongsuk, in the book Dialectic of Salvation: Issues in Theology of Liberation, points out:
"At the heart of Christian faith is the reality and hope of salvation in Jesus Christ. Christian faith is faith in the God of salvation revealed in Jesus of Nazareth.
It is not an exaggeration then to say that the Mormon religion is essentially un-Christian.
While he does not speak for the Mormon Church, one Mormon, David V. Mason, an associate professor of theater at Rhodes College, frankly admitted this fact. In an op-ed piece published in The New York Times, Mason declares:
"I'm perfectly happy not being a Christian...I want to be on record about this. I'm about as genuine a Mormon as you'll find - a templegoer with a Utah pedigree and an administrative position in a congregation of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I am also emphatically not a Christian."
He also questioned why anybody would wish to be a Christian.
"Being a Christian so often involves such boorish and mean-spirited behavior that I marvel that any of my Mormon colleagues are so eager to join the fold.
Missionaries and Church leaders would like traditional Christians to believe that the difference between the religions are superficial. However, a Mormon is no more Christian than any follower of Abrahamic line, like Judaism or Islam.
Attitudes about Race
If a reason for missionaries to be less than frank is their realization that the Book of Mormon contains many things that a Christian could not accept, there are also things in the book that a non-Christian or secularist outsider would also reject.
One particular example is the early church's racist teaching. The passage from the Mormon holy book appears to explain the reason why some people are black:
2 Nephi 5:21; “And he had caused the cursing to come upon them, yea, even a sore cursing, because of their iniquity. For behold, they had hardened their hearts against him, that they had become like unto a flint; wherefore, as they were white, and exceedingly fair and delightsome, that they might not be enticing unto my people the Lord God did cause a skin of blackness to come upon them.”
Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 7, p. 290, 1859, supports this racist view in clear terms.
"You see some classes of the human family that are black, uncouth, uncomely, disagreeable and low in their habits, wild, and seemingly deprived of nearly all of the blessings of the intelligence that is generally bestowed upon mankind.
Young connected the mark of Cain as the color of the black skin.
The first man that committed the odious crime of killing one of his brethren will be cursed the longest of any one of the children of Adam. Cain slew his brother. Cain might have been killed, and that would have put a termination to that line of human beings. This was not to be, and the Lord put a mark upon him, which is the flat nose and black skin. Trace mankind down to after the flood, and then another curse is pronounced upon the same race -- that they should be the "servants of servants;" and they will be, until that curse is removed; and the Abolitionists cannot help it, nor in the least alter that decree."
According to this discourse by the leader of the Mormon church and successor to Smith, slavery of the Negro was God’s decree, a divine punishment. This was not the only racist remark made by Young. Here’s another quote made in 1863:
“Shall I tell you the law of God in regard to the African race? If the white man who belongs to the chosen seed mixes his blood with the seed of Cain, the penalty, under the law of God, is death on the spot. This will always be so.”
But as it turned out, And as late as 1978, men of African descent were banned from its priesthood by the LDS church. This priestly position was open to nearly all Mormon males and the gateway to sacramental and leadership roles. Additionally the LDS church had also barred black men and women from temple ceremonies that promised access in the afterlife to the highest heaven. Why? Because people of African descent were denied access to heaven, at least until 1978. (It must have been quite a shock for all people in Mormon heaven. They had been promised an exclusive paradise, after all.)
In light of just these points of religious principles, it is no wonder that Mormon missionaries are taught to use deception when speaking to outsiders about their religion. Imagine trying to explain the racist bans to a black Christian.
Here’s an interesting video which appears to show a missionary training seminar conducted by Latter-day Saint author and speaker Bob Millet. The topic is how to answer difficult questions.
So to answer the orginal: Is lying acceptable in the Mormon faith?
Here’s an interesting video which appears to show a missionary training seminar conducted by Latter-day Saint author and speaker Bob Millet. The topic is how to answer difficult questions.
So to answer the orginal: Is lying acceptable in the Mormon faith?
The answer is like so many answers. No... and Yes. No, not officially. But yes. It is permissible- for a higher good, like conversion- to leave out information that may present a challenge to explain, to spin the truth somewhat, to shape it. Aside from the missionary work, are there any other examples of this? Yes, I could find one other but it is a major oneAnd So It Came to Pass (or did it?)
In the opening of this post, I quoted Gordon B.Hinckley who stated in 1998, the founder Joseph Smith's vision allowed him to see Jesus with greater clarity than all of the previous Christian ministers.
However, apparently the Church leadership has in recent years begun to question those visions and, in an apparent attempt to mainline their religion into traditional Christian faiths, the leaders have been scratching out the more controversial aspects of Smith's (and Young's) spiritual views.
Here are a list of the revisions to the Mormon study guide, Gospel Principles. It’s interesting to see what has been added and removed.
Astoundingly, many of the unique teachings of the LDS Church have been excised. It’s like cutting off the unicorn’s horn for the sake of a pony. For example, there’s this revision.
All good things come from God. Everything that He does is to help His children become like Him—a god.
Additionally all mention of Heavenly parents have been changed to Heavenly Father. In chapter 3 of the manual:
By following His teachings, we can return to live with him and our heavenlyparentsFather inherit a place in the celestial kingdom. He was chosen to be our Savior when we all attended the great council with our heavenlyparentsFather. When he became our Savior, He did His part to help us return to our heavenly home. It is now up to each of us to do our part and become worthy of exaltation.
Why? Because up until recently, all Mormons believed (as they were told) that God was married. Now the Lord is bachelor, it appears. A divorcee or perhaps a widower? God knows.
The problem is, of course, that it will take a lot of revisions and those aspects are deeply woven into the fibre of the faith. All of the early Church leaders made definitive statements and all of those now must be rewritten or deleted.
And this, in turn, calls into question the whole idea of divine revelation. Were Joseph Smith and Brigham Young divinely inspired or were they wrong? It can't be both. After all, can divine revelations actually be revised by later generations for the sake of making the religion more widely acceptable? Isn’t that sacrilege? How can this be explained? And where does it stop? The revisions are not even claiming to be divinely inspired so how can they trump the visions and writings of the original founder and the early church leaders?
It also begs the question whether all those who came before and believed the "wrong" things have found salvation. How can the faith of then and the faith of now ever be reconciled?
And, for Mormons, it is only fair to ask, after all of the revisions are completed (if ever), what will be left of the faith? How will it be any different than any other Christian denomination, like Presbyterians, for example? How can the LDS leadership expect blind devotion when the principles of the faith can be change every season?
In George Orwell’s book, Nineteen-Eighty Four, the ruling autocratic government did very much the same thing. One day, everything you thought was true and unshakable, was suddenly dismantled by the Ministry of Truth and its opposite was put in its place. There’s was no outcry because it was all automatically accepted as “the new truth.” (Of course, it was never "new" in any sense. It was actually the replaced, revised truth and the old truth, once replaced, now no longer existed. Not only was the truth replaced but the history of that truth was also added.)
All past mention of the former information was deleted from the official (and sole) record. Truth is what the leadership dictated it to be and there is nothing in the world that can possibly contradict their version. As Orwell writes:
If the Party could thrust its hand into the past and say of this or that event, it never happened — that, surely, was more terrifying than mere torture and death?
The idea is basically that if you can erase all evidence of the past, you can create a new past, cleaned and trouble-free.
So far the Mormon church has been able to get away with this tactic without much outrage by the congregation. The same strategy has not been a very successful for candidate Mitt Romney.
____________________________________
In the final post in this series, for the sake of argument, we ignore all of the evidence to the contrary and agree that the Church does not condone lying. However, if we are prepared to believe this, we are faced then with the challenging problem of Mormon Bishop Mitt Romney's conduct in the 2012 campaign and the sound of silence from Mormon leadership.
Brigham Young The Worst Mass Murderer - 120 men,women and children from Arkansas Slaughter - 1857 Massacre
1857massacre.com/MMM/byoung.htm
"And if the Gentiles wish to see a few tricks, we have “Mormons” that can perform them. We have the meanest devils on the earth in our midst, and we intend to ...
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The 1857 Mountain Meadows Massacre
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Aug 31, 2008 – Brigham Young 1; "The Mountain Meadows Massacre stands without a parallel ... The year 1857 was a time of particularly high tension.
Mountain Meadows massacre - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountain_Meadows_massacre
The Mountain Meadows massacre was a series of attacks on the ... In early 1857, several groups of emigrants from the northwestern Arkansas region started ...
"CHILDREN OF THE MASSACRE"
MAY MEET IN REUNION.
______
Arkansas' Great Tragedy, the
Mountain Meadows Slaughter
in Utah Recalled. ______
The Emigrants Murdered by Mormons
in 1857 Were Arkansas Pioneers. ______
How J. P. Fancher of Berryville, Ark., Has Kept Track of the Surviving Children in His State, Missouri and Texas, Working for Government Aid Seeking to Bring About a Reunion -- Formation and Departure of the Emigrant Train -- Hostility of the Mormons -- Arrival at Mountain Meadows -- The Massacre, as Told in the Confession of Bishop Lee of the Mormon Church -- Servitude of Children Spared From the Slaughter -- Their Rescue and Return to Arkansas.
This is the story of the greatest tragedy connected with the history of the State of Arkansas -- the Mountain Meadows massacre -- and of the strange afventures, rescue and after life of the few survivors of the great tragedy, the children of Arkansas parents.
The latest effort in the direction of bringing about a reunion of these survivors of the Mountain Meadows massacre. Should this prove practicable, one of the most picturesque and pathetic spectacles possible would then be presented.
Some point in the State of Arkansas will be chosen for the reunion, if it is found that the survivors of the Mountain Meadows massacre can again be brought together. It would be the first time they have met in a body since that day, many years ago, when, rescued from the Mormons and brought back to their native State, they were received by old neighbors, friends and kinfolk as though coming back from the dead.
For more than a quarter of a century one man in Carroll County, Arkansas, has watched over the firtunes of these survivors of a historic tragedy with almost a fatherly interest. That man is James Polk Fancher, and the objects of his persistent care are the little remnant of that train of emigrants who escaped the bloody fate of their parents and friends at the Mountain Meadow massacre in the southern part of the Territory of Utah nearly forty years ago. The nephew of the brave commander of the train, and related to many other victims of the unparalleled butchery of more than 100 defenseless men, women and children, Mr. Fancher, the present County Clerk of Carroll County, has had good reason to exercise a kindly guardianship over that now scattered and diminished band of orphans whose infant eyes beheld one of the most terrific spectacles of inhumanity ever perpetuated in any land.
"Polk" Fancher, as everybody in Carroll County calls the Berryville attorney and official, has never lost any of his zeal for the seventeen boys and girls spared by the Mormons and their Indian allies on that bloody day in September, 1857, when the Arkansas emigrants "surrendered" to John D. Lee and his trecherous associates after a week of fighting accompanied by horrors that to-day make the minds of thousands of people shudder when the Mountain Meadow massacre is mentioned. It was more than twenty-five years ago when Polk Fancher began to urge the claims of the survivors for Congressional aid. He thought the national Government should assume some parental care over the few persons who lost the dearest interests of life and every heritage of material wealth in that awful destruction of the train of emigrants. Many other prominent citizens of Nirthwest Arkansas have hoped that Congress would take some action in favor of the Mountain Meadow survivors.
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