One Living Truth Ministry

Are Mormons Smithians?

2008-07-29T07:22:00.003-06:00

Christians believe Christ, as relayed through the Bible and the Holy Spirit.

Mormons believe Christ, as relayed through Joseph Smith (and then other revelation, and then other prophets, and then the book of Mormon, and then the other Standard Works - of which the Bible ranks last).

The core of the problem is that Mormonism is subject to Joseph Smith's "Jesus."

If the Jesus presented by Mormonism is different than the Jesus presented by Christians, then there is a problem. You have 2 Jesus figures to choose from.

Christians claim that their Jesus is the same one of the Bible.

Mormons claim that their Jesus is the same one of the Bible, *but* the Bible is corrupted and Christendom has Jesus wrong -- or not quite right as they might nuance their point.

Mormons believe that Joseph Smith was right, and that Christendom has it wrong. Mormons put their faith *first* in Joseph Smith.

It is easy to see why Mormons should call themselves Smithians not Christians... But then they would have to admit the truth, and that is not likey to happen any time soon.

Saved By Faith??

2007-12-12T15:43:00.000-07:00

Many Mormons will repeatedly tell investigators of their faith that the Mormon church believes (to a certain degree) that it is only by faith they are saved. What the investigator must understand though is the fact that there is a major language barrier one must scale in order to fully grasp what a Mormon is truly saying.
So the next time a Mormon tells you that his/her church teaches that they are saved by faith, please consider the following statements from LDS officials....

“We have discussed elsewhere that other class of people who are basically unrepentant because they are not ‘doing the commandments.’ They are Church members who are steeped in lethargy…They are doing nothing seriously wrong except in their failures to do the right things to earn their salvation” (Spencer W. Kimball, The Miracle of Forgiveness, pp.211-212).

“Many in the world, and even some in the Church, seem to think that eventually the Lord will be merciful and give them the unearned blessing. But the Lord cannot be merciful at the expense of justice” (Spencer W. Kimball, The Miracle of Forgiveness, p. 223).

“They [Mormon missionaries] made clear distinction between general salvation or resurrection from the grave and individual salvation or exaltation earned by a man through his compliance with the laws of God. They taught that there are preferential places in heaven as there are on earth and that the highest place or Celestial Kingdom could be attained only by those who faithfully subscribe to and keep all the laws and ordinances Of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and thereby entitle themselves to come into the presence of our God and Jesus Christ, His Son” (Stephen L Richards, Conference Report, April 1941, pp.102-103, brackets mine).

There will be no government dole which can get us through the pearly gates. Nor will anybody go into the celestial kingdom who wants to go there on the works of someone else. Every man must go through on his own merits. We might just as well learn this here and now” (Marion G. Romney, “In Mine Own Way”, Ensign (Conference Edition), November 1976, p.123).

"Many people think they need only confess that Jesus is the Christ and then they are saved by grace alone. We cannot be saved by grace alone, 'for we know that it is by grace that we are saved after all we can do.'" (James Faust, Ensign (Conference Edition), November 2001, p.18).

“There are but few that will be absolutely lost, and that will go with the sons of perdition. Nearly all will be saved in some degree of glory and salvation, just according to what they have earned. That is what we shall receive finally” (Francis M. Lyman, Conference Report, April 1910, pp.32-33).

“The Lord has given to every individual soul power, if he will but exercise it and do the will of the Lord, to earn eternal life” (Francis M. Lyman, Collected Discourses 4:243).

“…after we have been recorded members of the Church we must then work out our salvation and earn eternal life, for it is not obtained without earning it” (Francis Lyman, Conference Report, October 1899, p.35).

“If men are to be rewarded according to their works, then since the works of men vary, the judgments of God must differ. That leads to the doctrine of graded salvation. Every person will inherit a glory of salvation, which will be the one that he has earned” (John A. Widtsoe, Joseph Smith--Seeker after Truth, Prophet of God, p.170.)

“In reality, this doctrine means that we earn and must earn what we get. Salvation must be earned. The plan of salvation is of value to us only as we conform, actively, to its requirements. It has been so throughout the eternities of existence. The spirit of man, seeking progress, has toiled and striven to rise towards his high destiny, the likeness of God. The privilege to come on earth was earned by him. Earth-life was not forced upon him, nor did he receive it as a gift. That doctrine lifts man into the position of kingship. He has labored and won. His battle has resulted in victory. He has the right to walk among kings. This is one of the great doctrines, often forgotten, laid down in the restored gospel of Jesus Christ” (John A. Widtsoe, An Understandable Religion, pp.81-82.)

“This grace is an enabling power that allows men and women to lay hold on eternal life and exaltation after they have expended their own best efforts. Divine grace is needed by every soul in consequence of the fall of Adam and also because of man’s weaknesses and shortcomings. However, grace cannot suffice without total effort on the part of the recipient. Hence the explanation, ‘It is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do’ (2 Ne. 25:23)” (LDS Bible Dictionary, p.697).

“Indeed, it is only after a person has so performed a lifetime of works and faithfulness – only after he has come to deny himself of all ungodliness and every worldly lust – that the grace of God, that spiritual increment of power, is efficacious” (Joseph Fielding McConkie and Robert L. Millet, Doctrinal Commentary on the Book of Mormon 1:295).

“After we have done all that we can do, after we have denied ourselves of ungodliness and worldly lusts, then is the grace of God sufficient for us; then we are sanctified in Christ and eventually made perfect in Christ (see 2 Nephi 25:23; Moroni 10:32)” (Joseph Fielding McConkie and Robert L. Millet, Doctrinal Commentary on the Book of Mormon 2:258).

“The perfect relationship between the atoning grace of Christ and the obedient efforts of mankind is powerfully stated by Nephi: ‘We know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do’ (2 Nephi 25:23). Furthermore, we are invited to ‘come unto Christ, and be perfected in him.’ When we deny ourselves ‘of all ungodliness,’ then and only ‘then is his grace sufficient’ for us (Moroni 10:32)” (BYU Assistant Professor Clyde J. Williams, “Plain and Precious Truths Restored,” Ensign, October 2006, p.53).

“It is the celestial glory which we seek. It is in the presence of God we desire to dwell. It is a forever family in which we want membership. Such blessings must be earned” (Thomas Monson, "An Invitation to Exaltation," Ensign (Conference Edition), May 1988, p.53).

MormonISM: Is Not Christian

2007-11-26T12:49:00.001-07:00

This is a great parable by Shawn McCraney, host of Utah TV20's show The Heart Of The Matter, and author of I Was A Born Again Mormon, that demonstrates why the LDS Church has no right to call itself Christian.

The Burden and Yoke of the LDS Faith : Commitment

2007-11-14T09:40:00.000-07:00

When LDS and Christians meet in conversation, the differences of the faith systems tend to percolate to the surface rather quickly. The challenge that Christians face with Mormons is in the definition and meaning of various words that we both use, and the painful realization that these words we have in common will often have vastly different connotations for each camp.

Christians often bring up the works required by the LDS faith system in order to reach exaltation, and then the LDS will point to James and say that Christians teach a cheap grace that requires no effort. And thus we begin the "what are works, what do they mean, and what role do they play" carrousel ride.

It dawned on me this morning that when we Christians try to point out the LDS works system, the LDS often leave the conversation as confused as when they started in regard to the Christian position. I think that the key to this issue is pointing out the core of what it is that we are calling works.

MORMONISM IS BASED ON PERSONAL COMMITMENT

In Mormonism there are four key/foundational concepts that drive their works-based lives (all definitions from scriptures.lds.org) based on Christian concepts that have been redefined:
1. Endure = To remain firm in a commitment to be true to the commandments of God despite temptation, opposition, and adversity.
2. Baptism = Baptism is a most sacred ordinance, which a person, having received it, can remember throughout life as a reminder of the personal commitment to Jesus Christ. Its symbolism is beautiful, and its consequences ever so desirable. John the Baptist had the signal honor among all men to take the Son of God into the water and baptize him, after which he saw the Holy Ghost descend upon Jesus. By being baptized Jesus obeyed the law himself, and set the example for all mankind.
3. Covenant = The gospel is so arranged that principles and ordinances are received by covenant placing the recipient under strong obligation and responsibility to honor the commitment. Thus the severe consequences to Ananias and Sapphira, who deliberately broke their covenant and lied unto God (Acts 5: 1-11).
(note the misapplication of Acts 5 - the threat of death to covenant breakers!)
4. Obedience = In a spiritual sense, obedience is doing God’s will.

In this analysis the magic word is Commitment. What can LDS DO today to honor their commitments to the LDS system? Commitment is a promise to DO, DO, DO. "Today I will not sin. Today I will love my wife. Today I will not lose my temper. Today I will keep the Word of Wisdom. And I will not do... I will not do... I will not do..."

CHRISTIANITY IS BASED ON PERSONAL SURRENDER

In the Bible, the Christian walk is based on surrender to the Holy Spirit. Not about what we can do, but about surrendering to Him, our counselor/lawyer/judge. When and if we learn to surrender our days to the Holy Spirit, we are convicted of sinful thoughts, we are convicted of right and wrong, we are led in the direction that God wants us to take. Galations 5:18, "But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law."

Hebrews 8:10 echoed Jeremiah 31:33 - I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts.

We do not need to focus on the law -- the schoolmaster (Galations 3:24), if we are listening and surrendering to the Holy Spirit ... like following a car to an unknown location, the work involved on our part is in following -- making sure we stay close and watch the signals.

The Jesus of Mormonism came with arms-full of more commandments to follow -- he did not bring forgiveness but amplified the message of the Old Covenant.

The Jesus of Christianity brought freedom through the New Covenant.

Where Mormonism stresses the 4 key DO's; Endure, Baptism, Covenant and Obedience, it produces slavery to the law through works, versus the meaning of those same words in Christianity, the New Testament stresses the Lord's New Covenant plan for us, to have us surrender ourselves to His will.

Jesus said, in Matthew 11:28-30
28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

General Conference "Just Doesn't Do It" For You? You're Not Alone!

2007-10-05T11:42:00.000-06:00

Bored Watching Conference? To be sure, non-Mormons find the early General Conferences much more exciting.

Of them Will Bagley said, "this was a time when they didn't write up all these speeches, send them in to the correlation committee, get them back, read them from the teleprompter, and if necessary, re-tape them." (>>)

Armand Mauss, sociologist, scholar of Mormonism, and former board member of Dialogue, writes:
"Today's bland platitudes do not compare with the spirit-driven exegeses and calls to service that used to be common. Since the Conference talks have been correlated and homogenized, I find them mostly boring and repetitive, and I remain totally uninspired by the 'large and spacious building' in which they are now delivered." (>>)

But non-Mormons aren't the only ones who find Conference lacking. Mormon Kevin Barney, on the 501c3 board of FAIR, a Mormon apologetics group, writes:
"I just can't get very excited over conference. I guess part of it is that it all seems so boring, so obvious, so cliched. The constraints of modernity-talks have to be vetted beforehand, the timing has to be to the second in a TV age, nothing too new or controversial may be broached-means there are no Brigham Youngs' or J. Golden Kimballs' or LeGrand Richards' any more. The delivery is uniformly bland and monotone, the content is mostly highly repetitive. One of the curses of being a lifelong member of the Church is that there is nothing new under the sun. I know how heretical this sounds, and trust me, I'm not trying to proselyte anyone to my perspective.

I'm glad most of you find spiritual nourishment in conference. I've heard the apologetic that they always teach the basics because we haven't really learned them yet. I realize that I'm in a minority among members of the Church. But conference just doesn't do it for me." (>>)

Mormon Molly Bennion writes:
"After years of just reading the conference Ensigns, I watched the Sunday sessions of April Conference. It was a mistake. Is anyone else struck by the grimness of it all? Almost no speaker smiled. President Hinckley did, as did Elder Jenson and RS Counselor Anne Pingrey, but most never showed the slightest positive expression. There's joy in the gospel, but a nonmember happening upon Conference would not get an inkling. The average funeral is more joyful." (>>)

A Mormon named Loyd writes:
"I often get the feeling that many LDS love General Conference because it is something that they have been taught and constructed [sic?] to do. It reminds me of hearing my grandmother and aunt telling everyone how wonderful the new Joseph Smith movie in Salt Lake was. I couldn't help but feel like they would have been saying the exact same thing had the film been un-engaging, poorly written, over-dramatized, and historically inaccurate.

"Like much of what goes on in this culture, GC has an a priori status of being wonderful, fantastic, edifying, and 'the greatest ever' because it is an official Church production. No matter how boring, mundane, repetitive, or uninspiring a talk may be, it already has the status of being lively, exciting, 'just for us,' and inspiring - before it is even read." (>>)

Yes, my friends, the emperor's clothes are off. But we won't leave you hanging. Allow us to suggest some alternative conferences:

* The Holiness of God
* God is the Gospel
* Exulting in the Trinitarian Relationships of Jesus Christ
* Sex and the Supremacy of Christ
* Money, Ministry, and the Magnificence of Christ
* Sanctification By Faith Alone
* Universalism and the Reality of Eternal Punishment
* By Grace Through Faith
* When I Don't Desire God
* Boasting Only in the Cross: video, audio (message by John Piper)

If you're hungry for some great praise music, you won't regret buying these songs on iTunes:

* "In Christ Alone", by Stuart Townend
* "How Deep the Father's Love for Us", by Stuart Townend
* "How Great Is Our God", by Chris Tomlin
* "Praise to the Lord, the Almighty", by "Passion"
* "Creatures of Our God and King", by "Passion"
* "Beautiful, Scandalous Night", by Smalltown Poets

-By Aaron Shafovaloff

4 Marks of a False Church

2007-09-26T08:43:00.000-06:00

In a very interesting study of historic Christianity, the great folks at Reclaiming The Mind Ministries' podcast "Theology Unplugged" addressed four characteristics of "church" orgranizations that violate historic Christian principles.

This podcast series was part of an examination of the Catholic Church, but these points apply across the board for any church/denomination/organization that calls themselves "Christian."

1. Radical Exclusivism
Churches who claim that it is only in their denomination or tradition that salvation can be found. They have all the right answers, right practices, and right ordinances/sacraments. Once this is claimed then the institution itself becomes the determining factor of salvation.

2. Radical Inclusivism
Here you will find a “no holds barred” approach to the church. People can be a part of this type of church irregardless of their confession or practice. It is the church of the open door where toleration is the primary virtue.

3. Heterodoxism
A church organization not conforming with accepted or orthodox standards of Christianity.

4. Radical Imbalance
This can be the focus on one scripture or being overly driven by one doctrine, rather than balancing the doctrines (i.e. Calvinism Vs. Arminianism)

These podcasts are very provocative. They are very harsh, casting light and uncovering shadows. It is a great wake-up call for any of us who might find ourselves worshiping in radically Exclusive or Inclusive organizations that do not balance thier doctrines from the Bible.

Any organization that claims to be "the one true church" -- do not walk, run the other direction! Run into the arms of Jesus.

Of course, Christ's "church" is the worldwide body of believers... Ephesians 1:22-23

LDS Member Ousted for Questioning the LDS Church

2007-09-24T09:53:00.000-06:00

It is a very sad situation, when the rank-and-file LDS members are told not to listen to the very people who may be able to provide objective truths about what the LDS church IS, compared to what it CLAIMS to be.

In THIS STORY a life-long member of the LDS Church questions the claims of his church, and he is ousted.

It truly makes you wonder how the church can react this way when one of the church prophets, George A. Smith, said this:

If a faith will not bear to be investigated; if its preachers and professors are afraid to have it examined, their foundation must be very weak.
Author: George A. Smith
Source: Journal Of Discourses
Volume: 14
Chapter: 4
Page: 217

The Gospel According To Starbucks™ Coffee Shop

2007-09-11T16:40:00.001-06:00

The other morning after exiting Starbuck’s™ coffee shop, I was greeted by the traditional “Way I See It” commentary written on the side of my Grande size paper coffee cup. The “Way I See It” comments have been an ongoing thing for Starbuck’s for a few years now, which entail comments, points of view, or quotes by all kinds of different people around the world. Typically the commenter’s who are quoted on the cup have a pretty secular and liberal world view. The comments are rarely interesting to me nor carry any profound meaning or thought (at least the ones I have read). But, this one really grabbed my attention. As I rolled the cup over to get my daily fill of liberalism, I was greeted by this:

“Why in moments of crisis do we ask God for strength and help? As cognitive beings, why would we ask something that may well be a figment of our imagination for guidance? Why not search inside ourselves for the power to overcome? After all, we are strong enough to cause most of the catastrophes we need to endure.” --Bill Scheel, Starbucks™ customer from London, Ontario. (He describes himself as a modern day nobody.)

A few things I want to address regarding Bills world view. First off I would like to know why Bill considers himself a nobody while at the same time considering humans to be great enough to conquer some of life’s toughest problems. If Bill considers what he wrote to be true, then why would he consider himself a "nobody"? It appears that he thinks man kind is great enough to overcome life’s catastrophes. But, at the same time excludes himself from this great world of ours because he is no more than a “modern day nobody.”

In addition I find it interesting that Bill thinks we as human beings should call upon ourselves in moments in crisis. This reminds me of the author and self-help motivational speaker, Dr. Wayne Dyer, who’s philosophy teaches that if one is lost to seek for himself and find himself. Correct me if I am wrong here, but if you are the one lost and confused why would you ask the one who is lost and confused for direction? Seems illogical. I imagine people like Bill who think God is nothing more than a possible myth is the same type of person who is joined in arms on “National Prayer Day.” Or supporting those lost in the 911 tragedy encouraging those who have lost family and friends with comforting phrases like, “Our prayers are with you and your loved ones.”

Lastly, I would like to end on what my response to “The Way I see It #247.”

“I find it interesting that people in our world today only call on God in times of catastrophes rather than everyday.”

Although Starbucks™ does not officially represent these sayings and slogans on their cups, they definitely are partial to their views. If you don’t believe me, send Starbucks™ a “Way you see it” containing a Bible verse like, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” –John 14:6

Mormons Receive Merit From God Based On Their Personal Worthiness

2007-08-10T20:00:00.002-06:00

Elaine S. Dalton, Second Counselor - Young Women (General Presidency) teaches Mormons that they should be ready to receive God's blessings, not out His mercy, but rather on their personal worthiness.

Does this sound biblical to you??

New Video From Living Hope Ministries

2007-07-17T20:52:00.000-06:00

Click To Play

When Brigham Young led his Mormon followers westward, polygamy was taught as doctrine... not as an option, but as a requirement for exaltation. Joseph Smith had proclaimed it to be an everlasting covenant, a commandment from God Himself.

In spite of the modern LDS Church’s prohibition of the practice, tens of thousands of Joseph Smith’s followers across North America continue the practice of plural marriage to this day... out of obedience to the revelations and commandments of a self-proclaimed prophet of God.

Today, the mainstream LDS Church seeks to distance itself from its peculiar “fundamentalist” cousins who adhere to the original teachings of Mormonism, including polygamy. Nevertheless, many mainstream Latter-day Saints who seek to follow Joseph Smith more faithfully, find themselves moving into Mormon fundamentalism... and plural marriage.

So what draws them in? And what keeps them? And what hope is there for those men, women and children--fundamentalist and mainstream alike--who strive to please God while living under the bondage of an impossible Mormon “gospel”?

By their fruits ye shall know them. This documentary examines the roots of Joseph Smith’s legacy, and its modern-day fruit. We follow the compelling testimonies of nine former fundamentalists, who shed light on this practice and lifestyle which has been shrouded in secrecy since the earliest days of Mormonism; but more importantly, they share the true freedom they have found in the Jesus Christ of the Bible.

To order this video on DVD click here

Those Interesting LDS Apologists

2007-07-03T13:41:00.000-06:00

The last evening of the Manti Pageant this year, I was having a conversation with an LDS apologist. This was on the street directly across from the Manti, Utah --LDS Temple. This apologist is an experienced man who is middle-aged, who claims to understand ancient Greek.

The apologist brought along with a bound and indexed notes for his arguments. He was doing fine for a long time talking to various people on the street-- and had a lot to say. The main ideas that the LDS apologist was pushing had to do with the LDS doctrine of a three god-being Godhead. Participating and listening in the discussion were several visitors was a young Muslin man, a couple of Christians and three or four LDS persons.

I injected my self into discussion and turned the course of the conversation to God’s eternal nature and the oneness nature of the eternal Godhead. I proposed a number of Old Testament and New Testament passages to the LDS Apologist showing that there is only one God-being. I had a goal in doing this because discussions about the Trinity verses the LDS Godhead are long- going on and on and on. And I am attempting new kinds of scriptural demonstatations that have much faster relevant and meaningful conclusions. In just a couple of steps ( instead of 30 or so) I was about to make my point that the oneness between Jesus, the Father and the Believer strongly suggest a God with a Trinitarian Nature. This of course is not in favor of the three god-beings as seen in LDS Theology.

I revealed to the LDS apologists and listeners one key verse that speaks to the nature of the Oneness of Believers to the Godhead through the Believer's indwelling of the Holy Ghost, the Spirit of Christ and the Spirit of God. It is found in Romans 8:

9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

I proposed that this passage indicates the kind of oneness enjoyed between Jesus, the Father and the Christian believer. Also I asserted that this passage showed that the LDS view of the Holy Ghost being a separate god-being was called into question and why. This passage when coupled with other New Testament Teachings about who raised Jesus from the Dead, and the One Spirit that binds all believers together in unity is very supportive of the Trinity. This is of course damaging to the LDS idea of a three god-being Godhead.

When hearing this Romans 8 teaching, the LDS apologist immediately indicated that the passage could not be trusted because the Bible had been changed. This was followed by a bunch of vague mumblings about how the Greek verbs are so easily mistranslated into English in the New Testament in general.

This LDS apologist could not provide any specific evidence for asserting that Romans 8 was changed or mistranslated. Instead the LDS Apologist held to the general assertion that the New Testament had “over 8 million variations in the Greek texts”.

This ‘Bible Changed” tactic was done right in the presence of several persons including one of the Islamic faith who were interested in studying the New Testament. This claim of the New Testament was severely corrupted was incredible to me since the New Testament only has about 180 thousand words and the LDS Apologist stuck to the 8 million changes to Greek manuscripts figure.

This would mean on average that each New Testament word has 44 variations. This adds up to saying that the Bible is 100% corrupt 22 times over. I voiced a similar figure attached to the LDS apologist’s claim. The LDS apologist affirmed that the Bible was just that mixed-up. I reflected back to the LDS apologist that he was claiming something like putting a Bible in a blender and chopping it up to the size so that each letter for each word in the text is chopped into three to ten pieces—then spilt out in a pile to read. “ Yes” affirmed the LDS apologist. I said, so you are saying in affect is that the New Testament is essentially completely corrupt in your view. “Yes” the LDS apologist affirmed.

I followed this with my disagreement of the LDS apologists idea that the New Testament was Corrupt. I started to explain the ideas behind New Testament reliability, but could no longer keep the attention of my audience. The crowd broke-up and diffused- there was no longer any reason to continue the conversation. It was clear that the LDS apologist and I had a foundational disagreement about the Bible as a source of truth. I watched in amazement as the LDS apologist walked off proudly with a smug look on his face as if he won the day. The only thing my assertions did was to break-up the long lecturing that this LDS apologist had started roughly an hour before. He left the scene and for the moment, stopped lecturing to Christians on the streets of Manti for the evening.

The bottom line was that certain LDS apologists, when in a jam was going to claim that the Bible is NOT trustworthy and the Christian’s argument is thus not valid. . In the final analysis the LDS person (that at least this LDS person) cannot determine any meaningful or specific truths from the Bible.

It this situation is universal with LDS persons it is useless to even discuss what the Bible says with an LDS person.

But this is not the case in reality, and is not how LDS generally believe about the Bible.

However, it is alarming how LDS often I have seen “the Bible was changed” as an excuse to ignore certain explicit Biblical teachings about God and Salvation. This of course is second to the claim “That is not official LDS Doctrine”. What a handy trick when in a jam, just claim the source of authority is not valid and flee the scene! Then when the coast is clear go out and lecture to a different person who is unaware.

Does anyone else see a pattern here?

My discussion down in Manti with this LDS Apologist reminded be of getting into a good game of chess, and just before you call ‘check mate’ your opponent reacts. The reaction of course is that your opponent suddenly throws the table over. On top of all of this your opponent declares “I win!—you loose!”, as he sends all the chess pieces flying off in a many directions.

Are'nt LDS Apologists Interesting People!

Our Trip to Manti, Utah

2007-06-30T15:37:00.000-06:00

The LDS James & Paul Proof-text Clash

2007-06-16T11:12:00.000-06:00

One of the favorite arguments using the Bible-as-proof-text that the LDS church uses to "prove" that salvation through faith by grace alone is wrong, is the book of James.

Verses from James that are used to bolster the LDS arguments are typically in this range:

James 2:14 What [doth it] profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?

James 2:17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

James 2:18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.

James 2:20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

James 2:21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?

James 2:22 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?

James 2:24 Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.

James 2:25 Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent [them] out another way?

James 2:26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

James 3:13 Who [is] a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.

Which most Evangelical Christians would counter with the entire book of Romans, but rather than head down that expected road, let's take a different approach. Let's actually look at the Bible with an exegetical hermeneutic and discern what James was trying to accomplish with his book, who he was writing to, and the context of his statements.

The keystone example of James' argument is Abraham, when he references Genesis, "Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?"

Interestingly the book of Romans appeals to this example of Abraham as well, to make an argument for salvation through faith by grace alone. So what are we to make of this apparent contradiction in scripture?

Using Genesis chapter 15 (verse 6) as your guide, can you fill in the blank:

Abram _____ the Lord, and it was credited to him as righteousness.

Is the correct answer "performed for" or "was going to sacrifice his son for?" No, the correct answer is "believed" which is the basis of the concept of faith. If you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9)

By the time Abram had Isaac placed on the altar, his faith had already been credited to him as righteousness -- before the covenant symbology of circumcision. BEFORE circumcision! Do you understand the significance of that? BEFORE Abram acted, "his faith was credited to him as righteousness."

When was Isaac placed on the altar? Genesis 22, where Abram worked to show his faith -- but God had already credited Abram's belief as righteousness in chapter 15. This correct context of the story proves to be very problematic for the LDS proof-texting use of James.

Compounding the contextual use of James versus Romans, is what the objective of the books was at the time of their writing.

Unlike James, in Romans Paul is writing very objectively to the church in Rome about the gospel message.

Unlike Paul, James was appealing to his readers that a living faith in Jesus is going to manifest itself in actions that reflect Christ. James was writing subjectively to a visibly dead church, where he heard verbal profession of faith that had no visible manifestation of that faith. James was clearly disgusted with the abuse of the mindset that the road of following Christ stops with "salvation through faith by grace alone" that he was seeing manifested in the church body he was addressing. James was writing to shock a fallen church into living for God; admonishing them for living the way that the LDS Church accuses Christendom of living -- with so-called "cheap grace."

Was James contradicting Paul? No. James was "smacking them upside the head" to get them to see that they needed to stop living for themselves, and begin living for Christ to SHOW themselves workmen for God who need not be ashamed (2 Timothy 2:15). James was emphasizing that a life proclaimed unto God without action is to no use for the Kingdom. Abraham's commitment to God, his willingness to obey and thereby showing himself a worthy servent, and foreshadowing the sacrifice made by Jesus, was taking his faith and actually acting like he believed it.

The Mockery of the Mormon Baptismal Covenant

2007-06-12T15:18:00.000-06:00

Many Christians are accused of 'Mocking' the LDS Religion when objecting to LDS doctrines.

I have heard this over and over-

But who is mocking who?

Note that Mormons consistently Mocked Traditional Christianity daily and the Trinitarian God , multiple times daily and in multiple Temples for over a hundred years. This Mockery was part of the embedded doctrinal rites of the LDS Temple Ceremony, until 1990.

In line with this Mockery, Mormon converts make membership covenants to a Trinitarian God under the Baptismal Covenants and Conditions as seen in D&C 20. In this LDS membership covenant they pledge to 'endure to the end' in the faith to this One Eternal Trinitarian God.
I say this because the devotions, and conditions for LDS baptism come directly from Trinitarian descriptions of God in the Book of Mormon. The D&C commands that the Mormon Convert upon baptism only worship One Being. The text describes the Father, Son and Holy Ghost as One Eternal God.

Mormons Mock the God of Their Own Baptismal Covenant - Weekly

After joining the Mormon Church however, this God is mocked when the Mormon is taught to believe in many Gods. Under the conditions of the Book of Mormon (and D&C) Baptismal covenant, anyone who departs from the faith in the belief in One God is to be swept off the earth and experience the consequences of God's wrath---

Ether 2:8- And He had sworn in His wrath unto the brother of Jared, that whoso should possess this land of promise, from that time henceforth and forever, should serve Him, the true and only God, or they should be swept off when the fullness of His wrath should come upon them.

This curse also is connected to this teaching of the Book of Mormon Jesus Christ-- because part of the Baptismal Covenant is that the believers promise to keep the faith in the True One God alone. To Break this Covenant therefore makes the Mormon "unworthy"

Just look at the consequence for believing in the Many Gods of the Mormon Temple Religion---

3 Nephi 18 :29 For whoso eateth and drinketh my flesh and blood unworthily eateth and drinketh damnation to his soul.

According to the Book of Mormon, Temple Mormons are in effect "mocking" God every time they partake of the weekly Sunday Sacrament-- due to their unworthiness by acceptance and agreement to LDS leadership’s teachings about other strange gods.
after making sacred exclusive covenants to the One True God. (see Deut. 32:16)--

No surprise really! After all part of regular Mormon Temple worship until 1990 was the Mockery of the very same Trinitarian and Eternal God that they made Baptismal Covenants with in the first place!!!!

So let no one say that Mormons did not or have not Mocked the Eternal Trinitarian God connected with Temple worship. Therefore it does not seem out of order in Mormonism when such a Trinitarian Eternal God is Mocked when a Temple Mormon partakes of the Sacrament each Sunday!

This shift from One God to many gods occurs after a Mormon joins the Mormon Church, and before the Mormon attends the Temple. Thus each time a Temple Mormon partakes of the Sacrament they "Drinketh damnation" to their souls.

This of course comes from a strict reading of the Mormon official Scriptures and not from the opinion or personal interpretation of an LDS leader or scholar--- who LDS complain about when they are cited-

I would urge every Mormon to closely examine the conditions of their Baptismal Covenant as outlined in LDS Scripture and compare them to the teachings included in the Temple and in the Ideas included in the doctrines of Eternal Progression----

Mormons Stop Mocking the God of Your Own Baptismal Covenant!!!

Stop eating and Drinking to the Damnation of Your Souls !!!! Eternal Life is at stake!

As it is written from times of old--

Ge 35:2 Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments:

Emanuel Swedenborg Revisited

2007-06-12T07:43:00.000-06:00

A few days ago we brought up the issue of the writings of Emanuel Swedenborg and the parallels between them and the "inspired" writings of Joseph Smith Jr. We made some loose correlations to general ideas, but an LDS member doing some seeking did some more in-depth correlation of the writings, and his findings are summarized below.

Swedenborg / LDS Parallels.... (Article Here)

1. There are three heavens (D&C 76, Heaven and Hell chapter 5).

2. Priesthood robes are worn in heavenly marriage ceremonies. Swedenborg witnessed a marriage ceremony in heaven in which the husband wore robes like those of Aaron while the wife was arrayed as a queen. (D&C 131:2, Conjugial Love 20, 21).

3. There are three heavens in the celestial glory or kingdom (D&C 131:1, Arcana Coelestia 9993).

4. You must be married in heaven to inherit the highest heaven (D&C 131:2, Conjugial Love 54(5), 155).

5. The world of spirits is a place of preparation for either heaven or perdition (Alma 12:24, 34:32-34, 40:21, Heaven and Hell 421, 422).

6. There are angels who communicate between heavens (Doctrine and Covenants 76:86-88, Heaven and Hell 27, 35).

7. Likens the celestial, spiritual (telestial), and natural (terrestrial) heaven to the sun, moon, and stars (D&C 76:50,71,81, 88:7-9, Heaven and Hell 117-120, 129, Apocalypse Revealed 65).

8. The church Christ established has passed from the earth (Joseph Smith History 16, etc., Last Judgement 33-39).

9. The Lord will establish a New Church on the earth once more (D&C 1, the First Vision, True Christian Religion 647).

10. Little children who die, Christian or not, go directly to heaven (Moroni 8:7-10, Heaven and Hell 332).

11. Since God creates man in free will, God does not send man to heaven or perdition. Man makes this choice himself. (2 Ne. 2:26-30; 10:23; Alma 13:3; Hela. 14:31, Heaven and Hell 452, Conjugial Love 48b)

12. Without opposition in all things, or what Swedenborg terms the equilibrium between good and evil, the universe would not exist and men would appear dead (2 Ne. 2:11-13, Mosiah 2:21, Heaven and Hell 589, 592, 594, Arcana Coelestia 2887).

13. Man is not saved by faith alone but must show works from a changed heart (Alma 11:34-37, True Christian Religion 340-342, Heaven and Hell 427). Swedenborg taught that justification by faith alone is one of the great errors of Christianity. The Book of Mormon teaches that we are saved by grace AFTER all we can do (2 Nephi 25:23).

14. Swedenborg echoes concepts found in the LDS sacrament prayer. If these principles are followed, men are guided on earth and the spirit world (Moroni chapters 4&5, Heaven and Hell 528-535). We must live the commandments (Moroni 4:3, Heaven and Hell 528-535). We must take upon us the name of the Son, which to Mormons means to lead a life of charity and service (Mosiah 18:8-11). Swedenborg also speaks of taking upon us the name of Christ in similar ways which emphasize charity and service.[13] (Moroni 4:3, , Heaven and Hell 528-535). We must think on heavenly things, or, more specifically, for Mormons, Christ or, for followers of Swedenborg, the Lord's Divine Human (Swedenborg's words) (Moroni 4:3, 5:2, Heaven and Hell 534).

15. One way to qualify for perdition is to know the truth and deny it, or in Swedenborg's terms accept the truth and then later deny it (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith pg 358, Heaven and Hell 456).

16. Celestial beings incorporate the law of consecration into their lives. In Mormon vernacular this means that our goods, time, talents, and all else that we appear to possess in fact belongs to God. (LDS traditional teachings, D&C 42, Moses 7:18, Heaven and Hell 8, 408).

17. The creation and the garden of Eden stories are allegories to our spiritual progress (Arcana Coelestia vol. 1). The LDS counterpart of this idea is found in the temple.

18. All things in the physical world exist due to existence of a spiritual quality cause that then brings about a physical world effect, by means of what Swedenborg terms correspondence of the spiritual to the physical entity (e.g. water has a correspondential origin in truth, with which it thus shares symbolic qualities) (Moses 3:5&7, Heaven and Hell chapter 12)

19. God is man. (Moses 6:57, 7:35, Arcana Coelestia 9359, 9361, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith p. 345) Swedenborg states that "God is very Man" (Divine Love and Wisdom 11, New Jerusalem and its Heavenly Doctrine 1).

The bad news is that yet again we see that the "unique revelations" of Joseph Smith Jr. predate his birth; taken from Emanuel Swedenborg, Alexander Campbell, Masons, and the Bible.

The good news is that if you are LDS and you are traveling out of town and cannot locate the nearest Ward building to attend, you could swing by a Swedenborg Chapel and feel right at home.

Got Questions? Too Bad.

2007-06-08T19:33:00.000-06:00

Mormonism, as many of us know is riddled with potholes and very disjointed claims pertaining to biblical truth. An LDS church publication called the Ensign, which is urged by leadership for all LDS members to maintain a subscription, recently posted an article, which emphasized church members to not question things that may not have reasonable answers.
The article stated:

“A Firm Foundation in a Shaky World - Don't let something you don't know shake your faith in something you do know. When questions that don't seem to have answers build stress along the fault line between the world and the gospel, the resulting quake can cause casualties of faith among those whose foundations are weak.” (June Ensign 2007)

This is reinforced and echoed by LDS doctrine when they stated in this Ensign article:

“When searching through praying, reading the scriptures, and studying the words of our leaders doesn't turn up an answer, we wait."

For me being a Christian this kind of attitude screams “Cult!” If we are realistic and logical about Mormons “waiting” for answers to things, which are critical, yet truthful towards the LDS faith, then Mormons are going to be waiting an awful long time for answers. This works out perfectly for the Mormon church. As people sit and wait the church only grows, which seems to be a main focus for the leadership of the church.

When the apostle Paul and Silas visited Berea and taught in the Jewish synagogue the Bereans were eager to receive Paul’s message and EXAMINED the scriptures to see and TEST if what Paul was saying in reference to the scriptures was true. These people of Berea were considered of more noble character than the Thessalonians. (See Acts 17:10-12)

Now consider Paul’s words to the Thessalonians where he writes:

“Test everything, hold on to that which is good.” (1 Thes. 5:21)

So if they Mormon church is the one and only true church on the face of the planet, then perhaps it could withstand a little scrutiny and give their members that free agency (which is copiously spoken of) to investigate the claims of Mormonism.

New Ager's Agree With Joesph Smith Jr!

2007-06-08T08:37:00.000-06:00

In a not-too-terribly astounding revelation, while talking to some people who understand world religions and philosophies, a conversation about Mormonism and Joseph Smith turns quickly to New Age concepts.

One such concept is that of "spheres of influence." Some New Agers are very familiar with this concept, also known as "Swedenborgian Spheres."

What is so important about Swedenborgian Spheres. and what does it have to do with Mormonism?

Emanuel Swedenborg was a 18th century philosopher, writer, and spiritual seeker. He claimed to have visions of Jesus and God, and claimed to receive revelation that Christianity was wrong, and that the spiritual and physical worlds, and everything within them were divided into threes -- three spheres of existence. Sounds kind of familiar.

Swedenborg claimed that the highest sphere, or "degree" was the celestial, the middle was the spiritual (telestial), and the lowest was the physical (terrestrial). Sound familiar?

Swedenborg claimed that Christianity's claim to salvation by grace alone was wrong. Sound familiar?

Swedenborg claimed that Christianity's claim of the Trinity was wrong. Sound familiar?

Swedenborg claimed that the Christian church had gone through the "falling away" (i.e. total apostasy). Sound familiar?

Swedenborg claimed that he was an instrument of God to establish the "New Church." Sound familiar?

Swedenborg's influence on the foundations of the LDS belief system are too great to dismiss -- if you are willing to be honest with yourself about the implications.

Read this page of Swedenborg's foundation of his New Church, and honestly ask yourself if Smith was not influenced by these writings:
A page from the exposition of the doctrines of Swedenborg's New Church.

Is Mormonism Christian?

2007-06-06T10:24:00.000-06:00

Often talked about today when discussing Mormonism in public circles is whether or not Mormonism is Christian.

The short answer is No. The reason is not as complicated as the LDS try to make it -- of course they cannot call themselves Christian, just like no one here at One Living Truth can call themselves Mormon.

Here's the breakdown (read the whole article by clicking here)

I was answered that I must join none of them, for they were all wrong; and the Personage who addressed me said that all their creeds were an abomination in his sight; that those professors were all corrupt; that: “they draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me, they teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof.” (Pearl of Great Price, Joseph Smith 2:16-19, 1977)

The above quote comes from one of the books of the “Official” Mormon Canon, The Pearl of Great Price. This quote is part of Joseph Smith’s recounting of the “First Vision,” which is day one, hour one, minute one, second one, of Mormonism.

So, the first moment of Mormonism is an all out attack on the last six thousand years of Judeo-Christian history. The above passages are further broken down in Mormonism to state that Joseph said that the “Personages” were none other than God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ; and that the “Personage” who answered him in verse 19 was Jesus Christ himself. The all out attack is as follows: (1) In that one sentence of verse 19, Joseph Smith destroys all of known Christianity. In that sentence prior to the semi-colon, three major points are made: first – that all Christian churches are wrong; second – that all their creeds are an abomination; and third – that all professors of Christianity are corrupt. This effectively destroys all of Christianity in one sentence: he eliminates all Christian Churches by stating they are all wrong; he eliminates all Christian Theology by pronouncing Christian Creeds as an abomination; and he eliminates all Christians by saying that as a professor of Christianity they are corrupt. (2) Joseph Smith redefines God. For six thousand years the Judeo-Christian belief was in one God. In this “First Vision” Joseph Smith and Mormonism say that God the Father is a distinct individual with a body of flesh and bones and Jesus also is a distinct individual with a body of flesh and bones.

Joseph Smith Jr - The Ravening Wolf

2007-06-04T13:47:00.000-06:00

Our friends at www.SmithBusters.com have published a new video that addresses the trustworthiness of Joseph Smith Jr.

The Possibility of a Mormon in the Whitehouse

2007-06-04T13:31:00.000-06:00

PleaseConvinceMe.com has a fantastic article about Mitt Romney, but more generally on the Evangelical community's feelings surrounding the idea of a Mormon taking the highest office in the land.

The article touches on a raw nerve of Mormonism -- the Book of Abraham. No, it makes the Book of Abraham the central issue.

Why? Why is this book so important? The reason is so simply stated that trying to regurgitate it here will likely not do it justice, but here is the up-shot:

1. Mormonism has a unique advantage over many faith systems available today, because it has proof that its founder, Joseph Smith Jr., was lying about his ability to translate Egyptian and the contents of the papyri that he claimed to read it from.
2. This is not circumstantial evidence, it is DIRECT PHYSICAL EVIDENCE. We have the original documents AND can translate them now.
To quote the article, "Mormonism has direct physical evidence demonstrating that Joseph Smith was not telling us the truth when he claimed to translate what has become Mormon scripture."
3. Mormons have put their faith in Mormonism IN SPITE of the evidence surrounding the Book of Abraham.
4. Romney therefore has failed to demonstrate a reasoned approach to the examination of evidence.
5. Christians should be looking for a candidate who understands the importance of the battle for truth.

It is a very well written, constructed and reasoned article -- one of the best I've ever read.

Quote of The Day

2007-05-28T23:50:00.000-06:00

"Today converts are swarming into the Mormon church, but very few of them really know much about Mormonism. We feel safe in saying that many of them are converted to the social program of the church rather than to its doctrines. Those who were born in the church in many cases "know" it is true but don't know why it is true. Many Mormons will stand up in testimony meeting and dogmatically assert that Joseph Smith was a prophet and that they belong to "the only true church," but very few of them check to make sure that their faith is based on reality. Many members of the Mormon church prefer to let their leaders do their thinking ("when our leaders speak, the thinking has been done"); it is so easy to let someone else do our thinking. The Bible warns: "Thus saith the Lord; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord" (Jer. 17:5). We sincerely hope and pray that the Mormon people will begin to awaken to the true message of Christ, realizing that in Him, and Him alone, can we have salvation—salvation that brings genuine deliverance from sin and real fellowship with the God who loved us enough to die for us."

-Sandra Tanner
Utah Lighthouse Ministry

Polygamy...Awful, Yet Eternal

2007-05-14T15:44:00.000-06:00

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is known to many by its historical association with polygamy. I personally know by my own experiences that upon my decision to move here to Utah, many friends and family members cracked jokes concerning the whole polygamy issue.
In a recent interview presidential candidate, Mitt Romney stated, “I can’t imagine anything more awful than polygamy.”

Personally I can imagine a lot of things more awful than polygamy, but that’s purely subjective. Maybe, polygamy is the most awful thing for Mr. Romney. Mr. Romney’s comment however raises some concerns as to how highly he thinks of his God who supposedly commanded Joseph Smith to install this practice within the Mormon church. The LDS church no longer practices this “awful” and “eternal” principle, yet the commandment to practice polygamy remains LDS church doctrine today.
So here we have Mitt Romney calling a major part of LDS doctrine, “awful” and yet still claims to be faithful and devout to his Mormon religion.
Mitt Romney is either…

A) Unaware of his church’s teachings

B) Aware of his church’s teachings and highly disagrees with what Brigham Young called a principle that “must be practiced if mankind desires Celestial glory.”

Or….

C) Totally aware of his church’s teachings, but like so many LDS, is trying to whitewash the issue and abandon the polygamy issues all together in hopes of mainstreaming this counterfeit Christian religion.

Reflecting Prayer Life...By An XMormon, Now Brother In Christ

2007-05-11T15:03:00.000-06:00

"It's as if I was raised to put Jesus behind me or off to the side during prayer and then bring him forward at the end to put a seal on it. Not that I couldn't be thankful for Him during the first part of the prayer, but it's as if He just wasn't a main thought, but merely an afterthought, and is needed in order to end the prayer to the Father."

The Ministry Website

2007-05-03T15:25:00.000-06:00

Our ministry website is finally completed and up for your reading/vewing/listening pleasure. It has been long and hard work to get this site up. I just want to thank everyone for their support and prayers to get things moving.
Also a big thanks to our ministry team; Brian Brumfield, Steve Redinger and Ron Smith. You guys are truly a blessing in my life. God is good!

God bless, everyone!!

Quote Of The Day.....By Brian Brumfield

2007-04-28T19:13:00.001-06:00

"The LDS Church teaches that they are monotheistic because they believe that there is only one Gods, which are spirit personages, mostly of flesh and bone.
Also, just because the LDS Church teaches that any faithful LDS member has the potential to also become an almighty creator God themselves after they learn how to do it, doesn’t mean they’re polytheistic; they are monotheistic because they only pray to God the Father, in the name of Jesus, who is another God."

Signs Of The Cultist

2007-04-18T22:47:00.000-06:00

One of the most commonly attacked scriptures in the bible is John 1:1. It deals with the deity of Christ, but also the very essence of the beginning. It is attacked, not necessarily by the humanist, but more so by the cultist. The cultist says, “I’ve got a new truth to share. Jesus is not God. He’s the created Son of God, the emanation of God; He’s a prophet who speaks on behalf of God, but Jesus is not God in the flesh.”
On this single premise, heresy is born and cults are founded. You can recognize cults by these three characteristics…

Exclusivity

“Of all the people living presently and throughout history who have named the name of Christ, only our little group of fifty, or five hundred, or fifty thousand is right ,” declares the cultist. Listen gang, if it’s new, it’s not true. And if it’s true, then it’s not new. This is an absolute fact.

Authority

“Submit to me,” says the cult leader. “I will tell you what to read, where to go, and who to marry.” Whenever someone tries to put this trip on you – run! Paul stated:
“We do not seek to have authority over you, but are helpers of your joy.” – 2 Corinthians 1:24
Cult leaders are out to dominate, whereas true ministers of the gospel desire only to serve.

Deity

Every single cult in our world today denies the deity of Christ. Why is this important? Because if you begin to say Jesus is simply a created extension of God, you open the door to every other heresy. But even more important than opening the door to other aberrations, if you deny Jesus is God, you minimize the work God did on your behalf when He became a Man. To confess Jesus as Lord means to realize that Jesus is God in the flesh. He is your Creator; Redeemer; and King; your Lover; your Friend, your everything. He is eternally God, equally God, essentially God. If your theological group you stand firm in rejects this, you are indeed a heretic.

-Comprised from Jon Courson's application commentary

Jesus Christ Or Joseph Smith....Whom Will You Choose?

2007-04-09T13:59:00.002-06:00

A Seer Stone And A Hat..."Translating" The Book Of Mormon

2007-03-19T18:14:00.000-06:00

Bill McKeever from Mormonism Research Ministry explains how the founder of the LDS Church, Joseph Smith, claimed that an angel named Moroni visited Smith in September of 1823. This heavenly messenger is reported to have told Smith about gold plates that contained a record of "former inhabitants of this continent, and the source from whence they sprang." >>

Genuine Mormon Tolerance?

2007-02-16T14:31:00.000-07:00

Traditionally, there has been a radical side to the LDS Church, that has fronted the notion that all truth was lost off of the earth due to a universal apostasy. This apostasy idea likewise states that only the Mormon Church has religious truth. Mormon founders have reported that they have been told directy from God that other religious beliefs are so deeply in error, that it they exist in a state of “abomination”.

Nevertheless, from the Newsroom of the official LDS web site: “Salt Lake Interfaith Roundtable Holds Concert on Temple Square”

http://www.lds.org/ldsnewsroom

SALT LAKE CITY 13 February 2007 More than 700 people representing many faiths gathered on the afternoon of 11 February 2007 in the Assembly Hall on Temple Square to attend the Salt Lake Interfaith Roundtable’s annual concert ...

This was a big deal with Utah Governor Jon M. Huntsman Jr. as a key speaker in an LDS hosted interfaith display of acceptance of all faiths.

The article lists a number of interfaith groups participated in this celebration of diversity. The various groups performing included:

--Methodists Bell Ringers

--Hindu Temple dancers

--Buddhists from near by Ogden

--Students from an Islamic Society

--A Baha’i Faith member to offer prayer

It was reported by one participant that , “There was peace and togetherness with all the faiths.”

But wait a minute, this is fundamentally out of character with the most basic claims of Mormonism!

In the sacred story of Mormonism’s beginnings, the Church reports an event, if true would be a major milestone event of human history. This account alleges that Almighty God appeared to a fourteen year old boy who was praying about what religion to join. In the account Joseph Smith learned directly from God, "for they were all wrong; ...an abomination in his sight" (Joseph Smith History 1:19).

( added 02/19/07) As Joseph Smith History states:

19 I was answered that I must join none of them, for they were all wrong; and the Personage who addressed me said that all their creeds were an abomination in his sight; that those professors were all corrupt; that: “they draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me, they teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof.”

The big idea behind Mormonism is that the truth disappeared off of the earth in ancient times. In this fallen state all other religious peoples existed in darkness that was so bad that God calls it an abomination. Mormonism teaches that only the Mormon Church has the truth because Joseph Smith was commissioned by God and divine power to restore the one true religion back onto the planet.

As an LDS general Authority of the past verifies:
"Nothing less than a complete apostasy from the Christian religion would warrant the establishment of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints" ( B.H. Roberts, Introduction to the History of the Church 1:XL).

The LDS Scripture of the 1800s teaches in Doctrine and Covenants (1:30) that the LDS church is, "the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth…"

The question therefore is--

Did God somehow change His mind, to now condone an interfaith celebration with those who commit abominations?

Could it be that Mormonism itself backslid into apostasy, becoming itself the very 'abomination' it first declared?

Or has Mormonism now traded in its basis for being founded, to become a champion for tolerance?

As an early LDS Founder once write:
"...all other churches are entirely destitute of all authority from God; and any person who receives Baptism or the Lord's supper from their hands highly offend God, for he looks upon them as the most corrupt of all people ...” (The Seer, pg. 255).

Other Mormon official Scripture teaches,
"Behold there are save two churches only; the one is the church of the Lamb of God, and the other is the church of the devil; wherefore, whoso belongeth not to the church of the Lamb of God belongeth to that great church, which is the mother of abominations; and she is the whore of all the earth"
(Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi 14:10).

Just 25 years ago Bruce McConkie, as one of the 12 highest ranking authorities in Mormonism identified Muslins and Buddhists, as well as other religious people as members of the devil’s church.

"What is the church of the devil in our day, and where is the seat of her power?
...It is all of the systems, both Christian and non-Christian, that perverted
the pure and perfect gospel...
...It is communism; it is Islam; it is Buddhism; it
is modern Christianity in all its parts"

(Millennial Messiah,1982, pp.54-55).

Nevertheless, the LDS invited a Baha’i Faith member to consummate this Mormon activity in prayer, sponsored Hindus to do their religious dances, and included Muslims, in this reported interfaith celebration.

What will we see next? Perhaps LDS Missionaries dressed in white robes passing out literature containing teachings of Hari Krishna?

Contending For the Truth That The LDS Deserve

2007-01-31T20:54:00.000-07:00

GOD’S WORD:

“Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in Him. Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar.” -Proverbs 30:5-6

“This is what the Lord says- Israel’s King and Redeemer, the Lord Almighty: I am the first and the last; apart from me there is no God.” -Isaiah 44:6

“But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!” -Galatians 1:8

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is a gift of God- not by works so that no man can boast.” -Ephesians 2:8-9

“God is spirit, and his worshippers must worship in spirit and in truth.” -John 4:24

"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." -John 14:6

"The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower." -Psalms 18:2

JOSEPH SMITH’S WORD:

"I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book." -History of the Church, Vol. 4, p. 461

“I will preach on the plurality of Gods. I have selected this text for that express purpose. I wish to declare I have always and in all congregations when I have preached on the subject of the Deity, it has been the plurality of Gods. It has been preached by the Elders for fifteen years.I have always declared God to be a distinct personage, Jesus Christ a separate and distinct personage from God the Father, and that the Holy Ghost was a distinct personage and a Spirit: and these three constitute three distinct personages and three Gods. If this is in accordance with the New Testament, lo and behold! we have three Gods anyhow, and they are plural: and who can contradict it!” -History of The Church Vol. 6 p. 473-479

"The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man's; the Son also, but the Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones, but is a personage of Spirit. Were it not so the Holy Ghost could not dwell in us." -Doctrine and Covenants 130:22

“You have got to learn to become Gods yourselves, the same as all Gods before you have done.” -Teachings of the prophet Joseph Smith p. 355

"...no man or woman in this dispensation will ever enter into the celestial kingdom of God without the consent of Joseph Smith." -Journal of Discourses Vol. 7 pp. 282-91

Members of the Church of Jesus Christ,

Please hold fast to God’s word and rebuke these false teachings of Joseph Smith.We are on your side, contending for the truth of God’s word that you deserve!!
Galatians 4:16

What do Mormonism and Chuck E. Cheese have in common?

2007-01-29T07:42:00.000-07:00

As a Christian, the study of Mormonism has had many affects on me -- through Mormonism God has touched my heart and life in ways that I would never have thought possible.

Yesterday my family visited a Christian church we'd never been to before. In addition to the reverent worship of God, praise, thanks, and fellowship, the message from this pastor whom I don't know from Adam, was able to reach out and touch me.

During the message about the search for truth, and the hard-fought battle over worldly values to find God's simple plan for us, we looked at how Esau sold his birthright for a bowl of stew. To Esau, he missed the value of his birthright for gratification of his fleshly desire to quench his hunger. The pastor then tied this example to the parable of The Pearl of Great Price, Matthew 13:45-46, where Jesus told of the man who was searching for this thing of value, and when he found it he saw how it was more valuable than everything else he owned -- he then sold everything he owned to obtain this "pearl of great price."

My first reaction was negative. A had a visceral reaction to the words "pearl of great price" because of what I know of the book by the same name.

For me, as a flesh-borne human being struggling with this earth, the writings of Joseph Smith Jr. and my knowledge of them supplanted my ability, for a moment, to appreciate the true pearl and toss it aside. My reaction to hearing the words "pearl of great price" triggered a reaction in me that I had to ponder for hours after the message, until I realized what was going on inside of me.

You see, this reaction was very similar to the first time that I visited Disneyland. Unlike so many California natives, I did not get a chance to go to Disneyland until I was an adult (this was in the 1980's), and drove myself with a friend on the 8 hour trek to kid mecca. While making the rounds on the rides at Disneyland, we finally wended our way to the Hall of Presidents, where I was absolutely left hollow and unimpressed by the animatronic Lincoln -- my jaw was dropped open, I was so absolutely astounded at how unimpressive it was to see this jerky facsimile of the lanky president "speaking" to us. It was the LOW light of my trip to Disneyland.

It wasn't until months later, when attending a nephew's birthday party at the nation-wide chain Chuck E. Cheese that I realized what had happened to me at Disneyland. I was in a moment transported back to the Hall of Presidents, and I realized what had happened.

I had been to Chuck E. Cheese many times. I was an arcade machine junkie as a teen, and sometimes the "fix" had to come from the least desirable source, Chuck E. Cheese (later I would score a job at a movie theater and make friends with the arcade room manager ... and the "freebies" arcade games went into the early morning on more weekend nights than I care to admit). What I had been exposed to at Chuck E. Cheese had affected me in ways I didn't realize. For years, the exposure to the mass-produced, computer-controlled, loud and obnoxious Chuck E. Cheese "animatronic" characters that played for the kids entertainment, had numbed me. The acceptance of the cheap facsimile had spoiled the value of the original.

When I sat at Disneyland for that first time, I was numbed to the Disney presidents. Mind you, these were absolutely ground-breaking technology in their day -- people were literally freaked out by the realism of these "robots" and there were even urban legends started about the Disney engineers working on robotic park staff, etc. In their day, these animatronics were seen as: 1. Realistic, 2. Unfathomable technologically, 3. Educational! These artificial characters were intended to teach the public; to transport the average American back in time, to almost reach out and touch past characters from the founding of our nation, and present "living history" to the public. What I saw was "the Pizza Time Players" -- Crusty the Cat, Jasper T. Jowls, Pasqually, and the Warblettes.

As I sat in church hearing the word of God preached, my mind short-circuited the living Word to justify to myself how what was being teached had nothing to do with the Book of Abraham or the Book of Moses, Papyri, Chandler's mummies and Egyptian funerary amulets. To me, I allowed my knowledge of Mormonism to implant a filter -- a logical branch that is triggered whenever terms used by the LDS Church are mentioned in a Christian setting. Quite honestly, my first reaction to hearing these words uttered, was to roll my eyes. How shameful! I had some real soul searching to do to justify my reaction to the Word of God, and this post is part of the fruit of that journey.

God really reached out to me yesterday and said this to me : If this happens to you, imagine how lost the LDS people are when they hear these terms! How sad for them not to even know the TRUE meaning of these words, at least you can discern them!

Salvation. Born Again. Grace. The Pearl of Great Price. Testimony. The Holy Ghost. The Trinity. The Holy Bible. Heaven/Hell. The list of words and terms that have been redefined by Joseph Smith in the Mormon religion are almost too numerous to list, and I just scratched the surface.

This message has two parts:
1. LDS people, seek the TRUTH of the Word of God! Search for the true Pearl of Great Price! The truth that only he who dies to himself can live for God (2 Cor 5:15).

2. Christians: Do not allow what you know about Mormonism to stand in the way of your walk with God. Embrace God's word, in spite of the redefined Biblical ideals, the deceptions that the LDS religion has introduced to us, which we are now aware of. A personal testimony is a good and powerful thing. The Pearl of Great Price is NOT a book. Salvation is not for everyone, but only those who accept the free and unmerited GIFT of salvation and the spiritual regeneration/baptism of the Holy Spirit! And the list goes on.

Examine all things; hold fast to what is good! (1Thess 5:21 ; Jer 8:5, Mark 7:4, Mark 7:8, Hebrews 4:14, Hebrews 6:18)

Another 9/11 Tragedy

2007-01-22T19:11:00.000-07:00

A tragic story where innocent blood was spilled as the result of angry Mormon pioneers.

To Spread the Gospel Or To Make A Buck?

2007-01-21T22:35:00.000-07:00

This might be older news to some of you, but I ran across it and figure that it could not be ignored. Deseret Books, an LDS church owned book selling retail store is buying out it’s two chief competitors, Seagull Books and Covenant publishing. Both Seagull and Deseret Book sell primarily religious books and merchandise targeted at members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Covenant is a publishing house for such products. Jenifer K. Nii of the Deseret Morning News wrote in her article on this topic that stated:

“Deseret Book has acquired former competitors Covenant Communications and its sister company, Seagull Book & Tape. Financial details of the transaction were not released. But the deal announced Thursday brings the curtain down on what had been a tumultuous year for the companies, which had been tangled in disputes about merchandising and marketing. The deal was initiated by Seagull and Covenant founder Lewis Kofford and finalized Thursday. "I've been looking for an exit strategy for a number of years," Kofford told the Deseret Morning News. "This presented itself, so I'm very happy with it."

My first question that comes to mind is, why are books stores that sell literature containing theological topics for the LDS church considered competitors? Secondly, again we have the LDS church not wanting to discuss any of its financial fiascos with any type of general public, but more concerning, not even with it’s own members. Thirdly, why was the situation considered to be “tumultuous?”

Further she writes:

“As recently as July 2006, Deseret Book and Seagull Book & Tape said they were in talks "to explore options for addressing the differences that have existed between (the) two companies," which according to Deseret Book executive vice president Jeff Simpson included disagreements about how Seagull merchandised, marketed and promoted Deseret Book products. Earlier in the year, Deseret Book threatened to pull its products from Seagull stores over those same issues. Kofford said Thursday that what started with a meeting between adversaries underwent a transition during the last six months. "It started out as an adversarial situation, but as we started talking, what came out of it on all sides was more of an appreciation," Kofford said. "And as we got into more open communication, the acquisition and the things it offers to the market became something that made sense to all parties."

This seems to show an extreme lack of character by the LDS church. If the primary goal of selling literature to the public in order to share the LDS gospel, then why would it matter how another store with the same intent is discounting product?

Continuing on in the article, Sheri Dew, president and chief executive officer of Deseret Book stated:

“Deseret Book saw a way to reach more customers and a wider market. We knew Covenant well, because they've been our competitors for years. They're strong, and they've tended to be strong where maybe we're not as strong. Each of us has our unique strengths, and this (deal) allows us to expand our ability to reach a broader array of customers, both as a publisher and a retailer."

If one were to evaluate this statement knowing the history and operations of the LDS church, we can simply see that the buy was not to reach a wider market in order to spread the gospel. It was simply a plan to increase sales by monopolizing the industry.

Over all I am sickened to see the Mormon church more concerned in making a buck than spreading their so called Christian message. If the true intent of the LDS church is to sell books in order to promote Jesus, then they would not concern themselves with the neighboring retail stores discounting product. It is extremely evident that the Mormon church is more about making a profit than elevating a relationship with Jesus.

Entire Article

The Podcast.....

2007-01-11T23:41:00.000-07:00

Thank you for all of your comments. Due to time contraints we were not able to address each question that was asked. if you feel that you have questions that still need answers, feel free to leave your comments here or contact our ministry:

(801) 938-6763

Or by email...

Announcement....

2007-01-01T13:53:00.000-07:00

A debate is going to be held on the Living Truth Podcast between Jason Bosarge from Josephsmith.com and Eric Hoffman from the One Living Truth Ministry. The topic of discussion will be “Salvation.”
How is salvation received? What must one do in order to be saved? Is salvation given based on works or faith? The debate will held and recorded on Jan 11. 2007. Since a podcast is a recorded audio and unavailable in a live format, questions for either Eric or Jason will have to be submitted prior to the podcast. So if you have any questions for Eric or Jason, please leave them here in the comment section in this post. All questions will remain anonymous unless otherwise specified by the commenter. Please keep your questions specific to the topic of “Salvation.”

Thank you and God bless.

Merry Christmas From One Living Truth Ministries

2006-12-19T14:09:00.000-07:00

The virgin Mary delivered Him. He now will deliver us! We pray that this holiday season the Holy Spirit may fill your hearts and we can rejoice in the Lord. Merry Christmas folks!!

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”
-Isaiah 9:6

Mitt Romney And Mormonism

2006-12-11T10:32:00.000-07:00

Courtesy of JesusnotJoseph.com.
Click here for more information about this video.

Monotheism Or Polytheism?

2006-12-02T13:32:00.001-07:00

Poytheism: Function: nounEtymology: French polytheisme, from Late Greek polytheos polytheistic, from Greek, of many gods, from poly- + theos god: belief in or worship of more than one god

Monotheism: Function: noun: the doctrine or belief that there is but one God

Orson Pratt – Apostle “If we should take a million of worlds like this and number their particles, we should find that there are more Gods than there are particles of matter in those worlds” – Journal of Discourses, vol. 2, p.345

Brigham Young – Prophet “He is our father, the father of our spirits, and was once a man in mortal flesh as we are, and is now an exalted being. How many Gods there are, I do not know. But there never was a time when there were not Gods.” - Journal of Discourses, vol.7, p.333

Heber C Kimball – Member of the First Pesidency “then we shall go back to our father and God, who is connected with one who is still farther back; and this Father is connected with one still farther back, and so on.” - Journal of Discourses, vol. 5, p.19

“for our God is a natural man, the first of all mechanics. Where did he get his knowledge from? From his father, just as we get knowledge from our earthly parents.” - Journal of Discourses, vol. 8, pg 211

Orson Pratt – Apostle and Member of the Twelve “The gods who dwell in the heaven…have been redeemed from the grave in a world which existed before the foundations of this earth were laid. They and the Heavenly body which they now inhabit were once in a fallen state. They were exalted also, from fallen men to Celestial Gods to inhabit their Heaven forever and ever” – The Seer, p.23

“We were begotten by our heavenly father in Heaven; the person of our father in heaven was begotten on a previous heavenly world by his father; and again, he was begotten by still a more ancient father; and so on, from generation to generation. We wonder in our minds how far back the genealogy extends, and how the first world was formed, and the first father was begotten” – The Seer, p. 132

Milton Hinter – First Council of the Seventy “Mormon prophets have continuously taught the sublime truth that God the Eternal Father was once a mortal man who passed through a school of earth life similar to that through which we are now passing. He became God – an exalted being – through obedience to the same eternal Gospel truths that we are given opportunity today to obey” – Gospel Through the Ages, p. 104

“We must accept the fact that there was a time when Deity was much less powerful that He is today. Then how did he become glorified and exalted and attain His present status of Godhood? In the first place, aeons ago God undoubtedly took advantage of every opportunity to learn the laws of truth. From day to day He exerted His will vigorously, he gained more knowledge, thus he grew in experience and continued to gro until he attained the status of Godhood. In other words, He became God by absolute obedience to all the eternal laws of the Gospel.” - Gospel Through the Ages, pg. 114-115

Joseph Fielding Smith – Prophet “Some people are troubled over the statement of the Prophet Joseph Smith. The matter that seems such a mystery is the statement that our Father in heaven at one time passed through a life and death and is an exalted man. This is one of the mysteries. The prophet taught that our Father had a father and so on. Is not this a reasonable thought, especially when we remember that the promises are made to us that we may become like Him?” - Doctrines of Salvation, vol. 1, pp. 10,12).

Isaiah 43:10- The Word of God "You are my witnesses," declares the LORD, "and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me."

You decide.....Is Mormonism polytheistic or monotheistic?

Airbrushing The Past

2006-11-25T22:53:00.000-07:00

Today my wife and I went to view the feature film “Joseph Smith, Prophet of The Restoration” located in the LDS Legacy Theatre. The experience was exactly what I anticipated. As with all Mormon produced movies retelling the history of the church , one can be sure to experience a tale that is absent of facts and filled with emotions which was confirmed by the abundance a tissue paper that was offered by the sister missionaries who greeted us upon our entrance.
It is clear that the LDS church is unable to produce a film about the history of their church that would be anywhere in the realm of faith promoting. The film seems to deliberately leave out facts concerning the characteristics of Smith. It was also clear that the film is geared towards two groups of people.

The first being the faithful and devout LDS member. I call this FUBU (For Us By US). The way I see it is many LDS need a refueling of their testimonies, seeing that this religion thrives on emotions that are not connected to any kind of historical facts. Upon leaving the film Mormons can be filled with the familiar spirit that once again entices them to believe in the restored gospel.

The second group is the common person who has come to visit the LDS church’s many grandiose sites among Temple Square. These people are not familiar with what the Mormon church really teaches (Commonly known as the meat by LDS missionaries) and sees the church as yet just another denomination of Christianity.

Then you have me. The ravel rouser who is educated enough to be considered an anti-Mormon purely because of my extreme investigation and skepticism. Being an individual who has some what of a knowledge of the true Joseph Smith can see that this film was missing some key aspects in order to airbrush a more prettier and attractive Joseph Smith.

For instance, the film depicts Smith with only one wife (Emma) totally ignoring the fact that Joseph has a well documented list of over thirty wives. I also noticed that upon Smith’s retrieval of the golden plates that he was simply able to reach in and pick them up with great ease. Seeing that Smith recorded the actual size of the plates creates a problem being that the plates would have weighed over 180 lbs. Joseph Smith is also depicted reading the plates in plain view with no special magical spectacles which seems to be an important part concerning the account of Smith’s great translation. Then we have the African Americans who are told by Smith that the Lord’s blessings are equal to all of God’s children. This makes little sense considering that the LDS church granted the African Americans the priesthood only 29 years ago.

So my question to LDS is this……Why would you want to belong to a religion that must make great strides to cover up the actual events of their history. Why does Joseph Smith require so much airbrushing?

So to all my readers who are LDS, I would like you to know that this is one aspect of why I continue to minister to Mormons and non Mormons alike. The Church only tells half the story in order to keep current members and convert the uneducated into this church which is not Christian.

We here at One Living Truth Ministry will continue to pray that Mormons will come to a saving knowledge of the real Jesus Christ found in the Bible.

God Bless…..
Romans 10:9

Are Mormons Actually Postmodern?

2006-11-21T15:20:00.000-07:00

Observe all the parallels to postmodernism.

Mormons think:

It's arrogant to trust anything objective (that is, outside of your subjective self).

It's humble to trust your heart.

The Bible is chiefly man speaking. It is not direct enough from God. If you want to hear God speak, seek the euphoria of an emotional epiphany.

The Spirit comes privately from an internal, private experience of prayer, after having emptied yourself of objective truth (Note: MUCH like Buddhism).

Neither Satan nor demons can feign/manufacture within you good feelings.

The internal burning has more authority than the word of God.

So many diverse interpretations show God did a REALLY BAD JOB of preserving his word.

Moroni's test or "challenge" is supreme, presuppositional, and unable to itself be challenged on any grounds.

Good feelings that please God come directly and mystically, and don't necessary come with a mental connection to objective truths about the glory and beauty of truth and Christ.

Testimonies are subjective and private, and therefore cannot be publicly shared.

All that can be done is to tell others to use the same method to gain the private epiphany.

Christians think:

It's humble to trust God's word over our fickle, self-justifying heart.

The heart is less reliable than God's word.
-"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?" - Jeremiah 17:9

It's foolish, not humble, self-justifying, and arrogant to trust your heart over God's objective word.
-"He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, but whoever walks wisely will be delivered." - Proverbs 28:26

Satan and demons can give you good feelings, those that superficially seem like "fruits of the Spirit".

So many diverse interpretations show how sinful humans are.

Moroni's test or "challenge" can itself test against the word of God.

Good feelings that please God come mediated; they come with a mental connection to objective truths about the glory and beauty of truth and Christ.

The object of our testimony, our faith, our godly feelings, is for public consumption. You can tell people about it with words.

To be filled with the Spirit, one should think on the objective truth and beauty and glory of Jesus Christ, available in the public display of scripture.

...all their creeds were an abomination...

2006-11-16T18:05:00.000-07:00

In the official LDS history of Joseph Smith 1:19, Joseph Smith Jr. wrote (http://scriptures.lds.org/en/js_h/1/19)
I was answered that I must join none of them, for they were all wrong; and the Personage who addressed me said that all their creeds were an abomination in his sight; that those professors were all corrupt; that: “they draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me, they teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof.”

The primary “creeds” that Joseph Smith Jr. was referring to, were the early Christian creeds; the Apostle’s Creed, the Nicene Creed, the Athanasian Creed -- all listed below in their entirety.

Note: In these early church creeds, “Catholic” means the universal church of Jesus Christ (the body of believers), not “the Roman Catholic Church”

The Apostle’s Creed (dates to within 50 years of the death of John - the last of Christ’s original apostles)
I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
    the Creator of heaven and earth,
    and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord:
Who was conceived of the Holy Spirit,
    born of the Virgin Mary,
    suffered under Pontius Pilate,
    was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into hell.
The third day He arose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven
    and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty,
    whence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy *catholic church,
    the communion of saints,
    the forgiveness of sins,
    the resurrection of the body,
    and life everlasting.
Amen.

The Nicene Creed
I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made.
Who, for us men for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary, and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; He suffered and was buried; and the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again, with glory, to judge the quick and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end.
And I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of Life; who proceeds from the Father and the Son; who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified; who spoke by the prophets.
And I believe one holy catholic and apostolic Church. I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins; and I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

The Athanasian Creed
1. Whosoever will be saved, before all things it is necessary that he hold the catholic faith;Which faith except every one do keep whole and undefiled, without doubt he shall perish everlastingly.
2. And the catholic faith is this: That we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity;
3. Neither confounding the persons, nor dividing the substance
4. For there is one Person of the Father, another of the Son and another of the Holy Spirit.
5. But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit is all one, the glory equal, the majesty co-eternal.
6. Such as the Father is, such is the Son and such is the Holy Spirit.
7. The Father uncreate, the Son uncreate, and the Holy Spirit uncreate.
8. The Father incomprehensible, the Son incomprehensible, and the Holy Spirit incomprehensible.
9. The Father eternal, the Son eternal, and the Holy Spirit eternal.
10. And yet they are not three eternals, but one eternal.
11. As also there are not three uncreated nor three incomprehensibles, but one uncreated and one incomprehensible.
12. So likewise the Father is almighty, the Son almighty, and the Holy Spirit almighty;
13. And yet they are not three almighties, but one almighty.
14. So the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God;
15. And yet they are not three Gods, but one God.
16. So likewise the Father is Lord, the Son Lord, and the Holy Spirit Lord;
17. And yet they are not three Lords, but one Lord.
18. For like as we are compelled by the Christian verity to acknowledge every person by himself to be God and Lord;
19. so are we forbidden by the catholic religion to say: There are three Gods or three Lords.
20. The Father is made of none, neither created nor begotten.
21. The Son is of the Father alone; not made nor created, but begotten.
22. The Holy Spirit is of the Father and of the Son; neither made, nor created, nor begotten, but proceeding.
23. So there is one Father, not three Fathers; one Son, not three Sons; one Holy Spirit, not three Holy Spirits.
24. And in this Trinity none is afore, nor after another; none is greater, or less than another.
25. But the whole three persons are co-eternal, and co-equal.
26. So that in all things, as aforesaid, the Unity in Trinity and the Trinity in Unity is to be worshipped.
27. He therefore that will be saved must thus think of the Trinity.
28. Furthermore it is necessary to everlasting salvation that he also believe rightly the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ.
29. For the right faith is that we believe and confess that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and man.
30. God of the substance of the Father, begotten before the worlds; and made of the substance of His mother, born in the world.
31. Perfect God and perfect man, of a reasonable soul and human flesh subsisting.
32. Equal to the Father as touching His Godhead, and inferior to the Father as touching His manhood.
33. Who, although He is God and man, yet He is not two, but one Christ.
34. One, not by conversion of the Godhead into flesh, but by taking of the manhood into God.
35. One altogether, not by the confusion of substance, but by unity of person.
36. For as the reasonable soul and flesh is one man, so God and man is one Christ;
37. Who suffered for our salvation, descended into hell, rose again the third day from the dead;
38. He ascended into heaven, He sitteth on the right hand of the Father, God Almighty;
39. From thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
40. At whose coming all men shall rise again with their bodies;
41. And shall give account of their own works.
42. And they that have done good shall go into life everlasting, and they that have done evil into everlasting fire.
43. This is the catholic faith, which except a man believe faithfully, he cannot be saved.

Council of Chalcedon (451 A.D)
Therefore, following the holy fathers, we all with one accord teach men to acknowledge one and the same Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, at once complete in Godhead and complete in manhood, truly God and truly man, consisting also of a reasonable soul and body; of one substance with the Father as regards his Godhead, and at the same time of one substance with us as regards his manhood; like us in all respects, apart from sin; as regards his Godhead, begotten of the Father before the ages, but yet as regards his manhood begotten, for us men and for our salvation, of Mary the Virgin, the God-bearer; one and the same Christ, Son, Lord, Only-begotten, recognized in two natures, without confusion, without change, without division, without separation; the distinction of natures being in no way annulled by the union, but rather the characteristics of each nature being preserved and coming together to form one person and subsistence, not as parted or separated into two persons, but one and the same Son and Only-begotten God the Word, Lord Jesus Christ; even as the prophets from earliest times spoke of him, and our Lord Jesus Christ himself taught us, and the creed of the fathers has handed down to us.

(More at http://www.reformed.org/documents)

...and the abominations were .... where? One must understand the origins of the early Christian creeds to understand their significance. Joseph Smith Jr. clearly understood their significance -- the Apostle's Creed, so-called because it was the belief system of Christ's apostles -- summed up the belief system of the early Christian church, the very belief system of the apostles who communed with Jesus himself.

And one last note, please take a look at the LDS articles of faith:
http://scriptures.lds.org/en/a_of_f/1

It’s what you call a “creed.”

Mormonism: Built On Top of Historic Holes

2006-11-15T19:03:00.000-07:00

In a historic retrospective of the claims made by the founder of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, it is clear to the objective investigator that Joseph Smith Jr. used secrets and craftiness, exploiting many areas of history that were largely unknown in and around 1830.

This diagram outlines the major parts of Joseph Smith Jr's claims, which historic holes he exploited in the 1800's, and what we know about them now.

Click Here for the Diagram

God's Grace Should Be Given According To My Worthiness?

2006-11-14T14:41:00.000-07:00

According to Elaine S. Dalton, who is second counselor to the Young Woman General Presidency, there comes a time when we need to count on the Lord's blessings, not because of His mercy but because of our worthiness.
At what point do you feel you are worthy of God's grace?
The word "grace" literally means a gift given to the undeserving. Do Mormons actually think they are worthy of anything that God has for us? The only person who was able to live up to any kind of worthiness is Christ Jesus. So it is to Christ's worthiness that we walk in and not our own.The LDS church continually puts emphasis on remaining worthy in order to receive God's love and blessings. Mormons are forever trying to earn merit from God rather than loving him for the debt that was already paid through Jesus Christ. We will never be worthy of God's gifts which is given by grace.

Scriptural References:
Romans 11:6
Romans 3:23
Ephesians 2:8

Interview With Brian Evenson, Author of "The Open Curtain"

2006-11-10T12:31:00.000-07:00

This is an interview with Brian Evenson author of "The Open Curtain." To find out more about his book click here

Do you feel that it's inherent in Mormon culture to suppress or deny religious history or at least the facts that might blemish the church's reputation in any way?

I don't know if it's inherent, but it's certainly been established practice for a number of years. In the 1950s, the Mormon Church had almost no publicity department; now, that's one of the largest departments in the Church's bureaucracy. The Mormon Church has acted more and more like a corporation as time has gone on, and has become incredibly conscious of negative publicity. I do think that too often that leads to suppression of or minimizing of facts from Mormonism's very colorful and to my mind very interesting past. In the last few decades Mormonism has worked very hard to present itself as a Christ-centered Church that fits really snugly into Middle America. But to be able to see it that way, you have to forget a lot of Mormonism's history.

I think often times Mormons are shocked or surprised when violent things bubble up. It's really difficult for them to fathom how or why violent crimes like the Lafferty murders take place in a religious culture where things can be blatantly disregarded. Mormonism places a lot of pressure on its members to do and be a lot of things. It can be overwhelming.

Yes. I think this is true in any faith that puts a lot of pressure on people to conform. Most people adapt themselves to that pressure and conform or they leave the Church, but a small percentage of people find themselves caught in the middle in a way that either destroys them or transforms them into a kind of juggernaut of violence. I grew up in Provo, Utah, which people referred to proudly and unironically as "Happy Valley." People took great pride in looking on the bright side of life. In addition, we were counseled to only record positive things in our journals so that our memories of things would preserve the good and forget the bad. Well, to be able to do that, you need to repress a tremendous amount, and some of what's repressed is going to bubble up again. The return of the repressed is something that functions both for the individual and for the culture as a whole. After spending a few years looking at violence in Mormon culture carefully, I wasn't surprised that what's repressed causes upswellings of violence, but I was that these up swellings didn't happen more often.

What I find interesting, having grown up around a lot of Mormons, is most times questions that revolve around controversial issues (i.e.: polygamy, temple rituals, etc.) are always answered with a certain vagueness or in a way that blatantly disregards history or fact. Do you feel there is a closed door with some issues in the church?

Yes. Even now that I've been out of the Church for several years if you ask me certain questions about Mormonism it's hard for me not to slip into vague, safe responses. It's much more difficult for me to talk about the sacred and secret elements of Mormonism than you'd think, very hard to turn off the Mormon self-censor, and I think a good part of the intensity of certain scenes in The Open Curtain come from that: I've had to go through an internal struggle to get where I get to on the page, the stakes of which are very high. That self-censor something that you're taught as a Mormon, the presumption being that there are certain things that someone who's been Mormon for a long time will understand but that someone without that commitment won't. But obviously there's something a little cultish about that attitude.

At the same time, I think the vagueness about something like polygamy is indicative of a kind of uneasy truce within most Mormons, a willingness to accept the past that's still partly a denial. At the same time, I don't think Mormons are bad people. Indeed, in my experience exactly the opposite has been the case; they're for the most part good, generous people who really do care about other people and really do want to help. For instance, I'm still Mormon enough that I feel an incredible satisfaction in helping someone move; it makes me happy to help someone in that way, which my girlfriend thinks is somewhat perverse. They're good people but they can be unnaturally gullible (which is what my novel Father of Lies was about) and when you cut through their goodness and gullibility, they're also a very complicated people, simple on the surface but as gnarled as the rest of us when you start to work through that.

In your novel, you touch upon the dismissal and blatant denial some Mormons revert to when confronted with issues or scenarios that are less than positive. In The Open Curtain, Rudd discovers his deceased father seems to have fathered a child with a woman across town. When Rudd comes across letters to his father from the would-be mistress, he confronts his mother about it, who essentially denies any affair or illegitimate child. She tells him, "She was mistaken in the man. We know the truth. There's no reason to speak of this again." There's seems to be a blindness that some members develop in regard to negative situations that would reflect poorly on them as Mormons. Is that common?

I think the extreme quality of her response isn't common, but I do think that some level of denial is very common indeed. I saw it, both as a child and then later when I was in a Bishopric in Seattle (where I was the second of three religious leaders running a large congregation), in the way that Mormons responded to child abuse or infidelity or corruption among local leaders or other things that were difficult to face. I don't think this is particular to Mormonism, by the way, but rather is something quite common to all religions. I just happen to know best how it functions in Mormonism.

...

Because Rudd has been living in a religious culture where he's been told how to think and feel about things for so long, he's lost the ability to make decisions for himself. He turns to this alter-ego or other "self" to tell him what to do or who to be. Why do you think Rudd has these issues?

I think it's an extreme response to a subculture that has a kind of internalized split. Mormonism in its day-to-day services seems very Protestant; in its temple ceremonies, it's very ritual and almost pagan at times. You talk about the Church in one way among Church members and in another way to outsiders. And then you try to reconcile that to the ideas and attitudes and mores of American society as a whole, weaving yourself carefully into that fabric as well. And then if you've have a religious structure telling you what to do and what to be, what happens if you lose your faith? Who tells you who to be and what to do then? Maybe nobody, or maybe you start hearing from all that that religious structure has repressed. I actually think that this is the basic American dilemma, at least for our age: the kind of tension between religion and capitalism that dominates American culture as a whole right now creates a way of responding to situations that often seems schizophrenic.

When you live in a religious culture where your beliefs are defined for you and where there constant pressure to live up to the image that the church has, it can be easy to crack under that pressure, much like Rudd does.

The more pressure there is, the more likely there is for there to be an explosion. I think religion both can strengthen a person's motivation, reasons for living, reasons for being, that strengthen their sense of themselves and generally make them feel more part of their community and of the world as a whole. But for someone without a core self it can also do the reverse: It can either leave them adrift or can substitute in place of a self and of an ability to choose a rule-bound doctrinaire attitude that ends up feeling very much like fascism.

Living Hope Ministry About To Release Another Powerful Video

2006-11-09T22:34:00.001-07:00

Here is a sneak peak at the new video coming out from Living Hope Ministries, producers of DNA Vs. Book of Mormon and Bible Vs. Book of Mormon.

This will surely be another awesome video showing Mormons and non Mormons the many unbiblical aspects of Mormonism.

Please feel free to leave your comments on what you think this video will have to offer that maybe prior videos did not touch up on.

Has The Mormon Church Dipped The Company Pen Into Political Ink?

2006-10-28T23:10:00.000-06:00

According to many media news sources, Governor Mitt Romney has carefully met with Mormon leaders to construct an international Mormon network in order to further Romney’s presidential agenda. Click here for full details from the Boston Globe.

Romney is a member of the LDS faith and has not hesitated to proclaim his religion when confronted. Romney does however, avoid questions that would explain what exactly Mormon theology consists of. Besides the obvious things that Mormons would like the general public to think, such as; Jesus Christ, the suffering on the cross for our sins, God the Father. But when it comes down to the fundamental teachings of Mormonism, Romney, like many Mormons will evade the question.

Many people who know little of Mormon theology are unaware that the church teaches things like Jesus being the spirit brother of the devil and that God has a body of flesh and bone and had sexual relations with Mary in order to conceive Jesus Christ. These are just a few of the many unbiblical concepts of Christian theology that Mormons consider doctrine.

The speculation of Mitt Romney's political relationship with the LDS church are just that.....speculation. But considering the Mormon churches background and credit in relation to honesty, it is hard to simply toss these allegations aside without serious consideration of the facts.

If Romney and the Mormon church are completely innocent from the media's claims, then the entire situation should withstand all scrutiny of investigation.

According To Mormons, Jesus Is Not The Only Person Worthy of Praise

2006-10-25T13:41:00.000-06:00

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints otherwise known as Mormons was founded by a man named Joseph Smith in the early 1800’s. Smith allegedly was instructed by an angel named Moroni to retrieve an ancient record written upon golden plates, that would contain the account of Jesus Christ visiting the Americas after his crucifixion.
Supposedly, Joseph Smith then translated these ancient writings into English with the power of God. This translation is now known as the Book of Mormon.
All though this incredible story falls on the testimony of one man, and history has proven this tale to be of fiction; Mormons still have faith and believe that Smith's work is worthy of more than just mere recognition.
In traditional Christianity the idea of worshiping or giving praise to anyone other than God is considered blasphemous. The fundamental belief of only one God who is worthy of worship, can be found throughout the bible. (see Isaiah 43:10, 9:6, John 10:30, 1:1-3, Luke 1:35, Matthew 3:16)
Mormons consider themselves Christians. But are they really abiding by the traditional theological teachings of the Bible?

PRAISE: 1 : to express a favorable judgment of: 2 : to glorify (a god or saint) especially by the attribution of perfections intransitive senses : to express praise- prais·er noun

Let’s compare the LDS Hymn “Praise To The Man” to Biblical Christianity.
LDS Hymn #27 Praise To The Man:
Praise to the man who communed with Jehovah! Jesus anointed that Prophet and Seer. Blessed to open the last dispensation, Kings shall extol him, and nations revere.
Chorus: Hail to the Prophet, ascended to heaven! Traitors and tyrants now fight him in vain. Mingling with Gods, he can plan for his brethren; Death cannot conquer the hero again.
2) Praise to his memory, he died as a martyr; Honored and blessed be his ever great name! Long shall his blood, which was shed by assassins, Plead unto heaven while the earth lauds his fame.
3) Great is his glory and endless his priesthood: Ever and ever the keys he will hold. Faithful and true, he will enter his kingdom, Crowned in the midst of the prophets of old.
4) Sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven; Earth must atone for the blood of that man. Wake up the world for the conflict of justice. Millions shall know "brother Joseph" again.

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?
Psalm 9:11 Sing praises to the LORD, who dwells in Zion! Declare His deeds among the people.
Psalm18:49 Therefore I will give thanks to You, O LORD, among the Gentiles, And sing praises to Your name.
Psalm 27:6 And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me; Therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the LORD.
Psalm 47:6-7 Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises! For God is the King of all the earth; Sing praises with understanding.
Psalm 59:17 To You, O my Strength, I will sing praises; For God is my defense, My God of mercy.
Psalm 66:4 All the earth shall worship You And sing praises to You; They shall sing praises to Your name.
Psalm 68:32 Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth; Oh, sing praises to the Lord.
Psalm 75:9 But I will declare forever, I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.
Psalm 92:1 It is good to give thanks to the LORD, And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High;
Psalm 101:1 I will sing of mercy and justice; To You, O LORD, I will sing praises.
Psalm 108:3 I will praise You, O LORD, among the peoples, And I will sing praises to You among the nations.
Psalm 135:3 Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good; Sing praises to His name, for it is pleasant.
Psalm 138:1 I will praise You with my whole heart; Before the (false) gods I will sing praises to You.
Psalm 146:2 While I live I will praise the LORD; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.
Psalm 147:1 Praise the LORD! For it is good to sing praises to our God; For it is pleasant, and praise is beautiful.
Psalm 149:3 Let them praise His name with the dance; Let them sing praises to Him with the tumbrel and harp.

Some supporting quotes to reinforce the unbiblical aspects of Mormonism:

“I have more to boast of than ever any man had, I am the only man that has ever been able to keep a whole church together since the days of Adam. A large majority of the whole have stood by me. Neither Paul, John, Peter, nor Jesus ever did it. I boast that no man ever did such a work as I. The followers of Jesus ran away from Him; but the Latter-day Saints never ran away from me yet.”
-Joseph Smith, (1st Prophet,) History of the Church, Volume 6, page 408-409

“If it had not been for Joseph Smith and the restoration, there would be no salvation. There is no salvation outside of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.”
-Bruce R. McConkie, (Apostle) Mormon Doctrine (1966), page 670.

"No man or woman in this dispensation will ever enter into the celestial kingdom of God without the consent of Joseph Smith...every man and woman must have the certificate of Joseph Smith, junior, as a passport to their entrance into the mansion where God and Christ are"
- Brigham Young, (2nd Prophet)Journal of Discourses, vol. 7, p.289

“There are yet others who have an excessive zeal that causes them to go beyond the mark. Their desire for excellence is inordinate. In an effort to be truer than true they devote themselves to gaining a special, personal relationship with Christ that is both IMPROPER AND PERILOUS.I say perilous because this course, particularly in the lives of some who are spiritually immature, is a gospel hobby that creates an unwholesome holier-than-thou attitude.”
-Bruce R. McConkie, (Apostle) Church News, March 20, 1982, Pg. 5

No One Can See God's Face And Live....Well, Sometimes

2006-10-24T23:34:00.000-06:00

D&C 84 was penned September 22-23, 1832, covering various topics including the bestowal of the priesthood offices in the LDS Church.

In D&C 84:21-22 Joseph Smith Jr. wrote:
21 And without the ordinances thereof, and the authority of the priesthood, the power of godliness is not manifest unto men in the flesh; 22 For without this no man can see the face of God, even the Father, and live.

D&C 84:22 says that without the priesthood, no man can see the face of God and live. He makes a veiled reference to Old Testament Bible verses like Exodus 33:20, but ignores the fact that not even Moses saw “God’s face." Please pay close attention to the whole and context of verse 20 -- where God makes NO exceptions for what he says (i.e. “unless you have the priesthood”) the fact is that not even Moses was allowed to see God’s figurative face, nor His Glory and live to tell about it. Surely Moses’ station in God’s eyes was greater than his brother Aaron -- to whom the LDS attribute such great power.

What’s the problem with this? Joseph Smith Jr. claims to have received the priesthood on May 15, 1829.

Joseph Smith Jr. earlier claimed to have seen God face to face in 1820, nine years before he claims that he was given the priesthood; nine years before, according to D&C 84, that he would have had the ordinance and power of godliness to be able to see God face to face and live.

The LDS Church teaches that the restored priesthood will allow men to see God face to face and live, but it would be impossible without it. At the same time they teach that Joseph Smith Jr. saw God face to face and lived, before he held the priesthood.