What’s the difference: Mormonism

June 24, 2023

Mormons

~ as God is, man can become ~

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~ officially known as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, it is the fastest growing cult in the history of the US
~ membership in the Mormon Church reached 10.6 million worldwide in 1999
~ the Mormon’s create a highly attractive and admirable facade that communicates caring, with a strong emphasis on family, clean living and a commitment to Christ that would appear to outdo many evangelical Christians
~ Mormons have redefined many key terms used by Christians, dismissing/twisting/changing and/or adding to all biblical doctrines – particularly revelation, the Trinity, salvation by grace through faith alone
~ some Mormon scholars and leaders have taken positions that seem to refute what Mormon prophets and leaders clearly taught in the 19th and 20th centuries
~ the “later viewpoint” insists that Mormons and evangelicals are much closer in their doctrine and that anti-Mormon views are all wrong

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Joseph Smith, Jr
~ how it all began ~

~ The story of Mormonism started when a 14-year old boy had a vision in which two persons, whom he believed to be the Father and the Son, appeared to him
~ he asked them which denomination he should join, they told him none because all of them are wrong
~ in 1823, Smith, who was 17, saw the angel Moroni appeared at his bedside and told him of a book written on golden plates
~ these plates contained “the fullness of the everlasting gospel”
~ 4 years later, he dug up the plates and began transcribing their “Reformed Egyptian” writing with the help of 2 special stones (seer stones) called “Urim” and “Thummim”
~ he sat behind a curtain while translating the plates, gazing into a hat and supposedly reading the Book of Mormon (BOM), as they appeared on the seer stones, dictating each line to a scribe
~ in 1826, he was convicted of “glass looking” also known as scrying, which was a misdemeanor – people who did glass looking or scrying were thought to be con men
~ by 1830, Smith had published BOM and had founded the Mormon church
~ from 1831-1844, Smith established Mormon strongholds in Ohio, Missouri, and Illinois
~ wherever they went, they were greeted with hostility and persecution
~ from the early 18030’s to early 1840’s. Smith continued to receive revelations that guided him where to go, and what to do next
~ Book of Commandments: the first edition of a compilation of doctrines published in 1833, consisting of 65 chapters
~ Doctrine and Covenants (D&C): the second edition published in 1835, would become known as “inspired scripture”
~ by 1835, the Mormons had been completely driven out of Missouri, into Illinois, where Smith led in the development of the city of Nauvoo, it was here he came up with revelations concerning the Godhead, origin and destiny of the human race, eternal progression, baptism for the dead, polygamy, and sacred temple orinances
~ August 12, 1843 – the date when Smith’s revelation on polygamy was released, which included a threat to Smith’s first wife (Emma), that she would be “destroyed” if refused to accept the idea
~ when the Nauvoo Expositor started exposing stories about Mormon’s belief in polygamy, tensions rose; Smith ordered the destruction of the newspaper – as mayor he felt he had the right to, and ended up going to jail, the jail was attacked and Smith was killed
~ Brigham Young became the next leader
~ led a large number of LDS west, settling in the Valley of the Great Salt Lake in 1847; polygamy became a formal practice
~ Young had 20 wives and fathered 57 children
~ those that stayed behind formed the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints, headed by Emma and Smith’s son
~ the Mormons officially practiced polygamy until 1890; government pressure threatened the existence of all Mormon temples – polygamy being the main reason Urah had been denied statehood at least six times
~ a more positive public image was sought after in the 20th century, trying to blend with mainstream Christianity, claiming ” Mormonism is Christianity, Christianity is Mormonism”

Is the book of Mormon Correct?

“The BOM covers the history of two great civilizations,
of the most important is supposed to be those that arrived in America around 600BC.
These Jewish people are reported to have become two great nations, the Nephites and the Lamanites”

~ most of the BOM is allegedly put down on gold plates by Mormon, commander in chief of the Nephites, who gave them to his son upon completion and hid them in the Hill Cumorah, the Nephites then fought the Lamanites to the death and all were killed; the Lamanites went on to become the “principal ancestors of the American Indians”
~ the Mormon Church has gone to great lengths to justify the BOM, coming up with its own archeological theories
– the BOM claims there are 38 “mighty cities”, built by Nephites and Jeredites (people of the first migration, around 2200BC), but np trace of such cities have been found
– no institute in America besides Brigham Young University tries to substantiate or support the BOM, some Mormon professors have admitted weakness and in some cases out right lies of any archeological support

Mormon theology goes beyond the BOM

~ even though Joseph Smith claimed that the BOM was the most complete book on earth, he added 13 key doctrines that aren’t found in BOM:
– plurality of gods (polytheism)
– God as an exalted man
– a human beings ability to become God
– three degrees of heaven
– polygamy
– eternal progression
– baptism for the dead
– prophecies by Smith that did not come true
– underwent many changes
– (doctrines found within D&C)

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the “pearl” with a huge blemish

~ Pearl of Great Price (PGP), produced mainly by Smith
~ translated in part from papyri fragments
~ according to Smith, the Egyptian hieroglyphs were a record of writings by Abraham while he was in Egypt
~ the “Book of Abraham” became part of PGP, first published in 1851 and incorporated into the LDS canon in 1880
~ assumed lost or destroyed, the fragments turned up in 1967 and were returned to the Mormon church
~ investigations by Mormon and non-Mormon Egyptologists showed that the fragments contained nothing more than an Egyptian funeral text with instructions to embalmers
~ The Encyclopedia of Mormonism unblushingly states that when Smith looked at the hieroglyphs he “sought revelations from the Lord”.
~ A key to understanding Mormons is that they have absolutely unshakable faith in Joseph Smith, their first prophet; facts do not matter; whatever happened, Smith is still their source of divine revelation; the foundations of their viewpoint

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eternal progression: heart of mormonism

~ God is progressive, and advanced along a path that Mormon followers are permitted to follow
~ the church proclaims this eternal truth “as man is, God once was, as God is, man may be”
~ the historic Mormon view of God is:
– God, the heavenly Father, is really an exalted man
– He is one of a “species” that Mormons call gods
~ those gods existed before the heavenly Father
~ in Mormon thinking, God is not the eternal creator, He was created or begotten Himself by another god, who had been created by someone else, and so on
~ when the LDS’ Father-God was created he became a spirit being who grew to full maturity and was then sent to a planet other than earth, where he lived as a man, becoming all he could as he grew, finally dying and then resurrected
~ having attained Godhood, he returned to a heavenly abode with a body of flesh and bones, where he joined with his goddess-wife (Mother-God) to copulate and have millions of spirit children who would eventually populate the earth
~ “the preexistence”: the spirit world domain where all this (listed above) takes place
~ according to Mormon thinking:
– the Father-God of our present universe was not created out of nothing, the god who created Him did so out of eternal matter, which is full of “intelligence”
– everyone who ever lived is actually an “intelligence who resided at one time in eternal matter”
– God is not eternal, matter is
– God’s first-born son was Jesus Christ, followed by Jesus’ brother, Lucifer, and then all the other innumerable spirit children
– he held a meeting called the Council of Heaven, told everyone of his plan for his spirit children (to live on earth, to be tested, and then return to him after death)
– two likely candidates to be the savior of all those who would be born on earth – Jesus of Lucifer
– when Jesus was chosen, Lucifer rebelled, fought a great war, and lost
– Lucifer was cast down to earth, where he was condemned to live as a spirit who would never have a human body
– meanwhile, Jesus, with help of the other spirit children, created earth, all the animals, and the first human inhabitants – Adam and Eve
– descended from Adam and Eve, were certain spirit children who fought halfheartedly against Satan, they were sentenced to be born mortals with black skin as part of the lineage of Cain
~ the Mormon church today has no “official position” as to whether or not Jesus married, their logic demands it because celestial marriage is one requirement for godhood or exaltation
~ Mormon apostles strongly imply that Jesus did marry, and had many wives
~ after his death on the cross, Jesus gained “fullness” which he attained through a resurrected body, returned to heaven where he reigns with Father-God, eventually Jesus will take Father-Gods place as Father-God moves on to even higher realms of glory
~ all those born on earth come from the spirit world where they have been waiting in preexistence
~ if they become Mormons, they too can rise higher and higher, progressing farther and farther toward godhood
~ if they take part in celestial marriage (being married in a Morman temple), a man and his wife can eventually have their own planet, there they can continue to procreate spirit children for all eternity, continuing the cycle
~ Mormons teach that the Trinity is not one God, but three separate gods – three distinct bodies
~ salvation, according to Mormons, comes in two parts; general and individual
– general salvation: “We believe that through the atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved.”, given regardless of a person’s actions or beliefs
– Christ’s atonement paid for Adam’s sins only, we are still responsible for personal sins
– individual salvation: Christ’s death (atonement)provides the oppurtunity to obeying laws and ordinances of the gospel/teachings of the LDS church
– eight requirements that must be met if a person is to merit forgiveness: (partial list)
– faith in Christ
– being baptized
– becoming a member of the LDS church
– keeping the commandments
– doing temple work
– accepting Joseph Smith and his successors as “God’s mouthpiece”

“You have got to learn to become Gods yourselves
the same as all gods have done before you
namely, by going from one small degree to another.”
~ Smith

“Before me no god was formed
nor will there be one after me”
~ Hosea 11: 9

Stephen E. Robinson and the great divide

~ Stephen E. Robinson, professor of ancient scriptures at Brigham Young University
~ Robinson, in a discussion with Blomberg, dismisses almost all of the early Mormon teachings, claiming it is false to use these teachings to criticize the Mormon religion
~ he – Robinson – believes the real problem is the different “view of the nature of the universe into which Mormons fit the gospel”
~ Robinson strongly insists that “there is not a single verse of the Bible that the LDS do not accept”, but in many places he makes it clear that LDS reject the Greek philosophy

summing up major differences

~ the biblical Christians doctrine of God says He is eternal, the only God in the universe, the supreme creator; the Mormon doctrine of God says he is “progressive”, having attained the exalted state by advancing along a path that His children (Mormons) are permitted to follow
~ Mormons believe that the canon of scripture is not closed and that “modern revelation is necessary… (God) continues to speak because he is unchangeable”, accept as The Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, Pearl of Great Price, and the KJV Bible as scripture/ Biblical Christians hold that the canon is closed and accept only the Bible as scripture
~Joseph Smith taught that “the Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s”. Apostle Talmadge said “We believe in a God who is… a being who has attained His exalted state by a path which now his children are permitted to follow…the church proclaims the eternal truth, ‘as man is, God once was, as God is, man may be'”, he also said that the doctrine of the Trinity was a jumble of “inconsistencies and contradictions”/ Biblical Christians believe God is a spirit, creator of the world, and that there are no other gods, the word “trinity” means “three in oneness”
~ Smith taught that “men will be punished for their own sins, but not for Adam’s transgressions”, the BOM says Adam and Eve were foreordained to sin in order to provide parentage for the spirit children, general salvation means that “all men are saved by grace alone” but full, individual salvation comes only through the LDS church/ Biblical Christians believe salvation is a free gift, provided by God’s grace provided for all who believe in Christ, Christians do good works, not to earn salvation but because they have salvation
~ Smith taught that most of mankind will enter one of the three levels of heaven – telestial, terrestrial, or celestial and that celestial heaven is only for Mormons/ Biblical Christians believe that heaven is the dwelling place of God which will become home for all believers

*sorry this is so long, I cut a lot of the info out that the book has to offer, even more than what I initially thought was important. Everything included here is of importance, in my opinion. From here on out, the articles should be shorter

source: So What’s The Difference by Fritz Ridenour

…I personally don’t believe in religion, not as it has been defined in society. All it is, is a tool to divide us. I grew up a Baptist and went to a Christian school. To this day I have questions, but I still believe – and I keep looking for answers. Having faith that God is in control and believing that He sent His son to die for our sins is all that is needed to be saved. One doesn’t need to pray on the rosary, live a life of celibacy, or not eat certain foods to be saved. Jesus paid it all!

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thanks for stopping by!!