IS THE MORMON RELIGION CHRISTIAN

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

1. Is the Mormon Religion Christian

2. The Background History of Joseph Fielding Smith Jr.

3. The Background History of Joseph Fielding Smith Jr.

4. The Mormon Teachings and Doctrines

A. The Bible is not the unique and final Word of God.

B. The Early Church fell into total Apostasy.

5. The Mormon Teachings and Doctrines

A. Pre-Existence.

B. Jesus and Satan are spirit brothers.

C. God is and exalted man: God was once a man like us.

6. The Mormon Teachings and Doctrines

A. There is more than one true God.

B. All exalted men become gods.

C. God created many earths.

7. The Mormon Teachings and Doctrines

A. Only exalted beings gain fullness of the Father.

B. We can make ourselves worthy before God.

C. God is not a Trinity.

8. The Mormon Teachings and Doctrines

A. The sin of Adam and Eve was a great evil or a great blessing.

B. Christ atoning benefits for those who reject Him.

C. There is a mother goddess.

D. The Holy Ghost.

9. The Mormon Teachings and Doctrines

A. Heaven.

B. Jesus.

C. Joseph Fielding Smith Jr.

10. The Mormon Teachings and Doctrines

A. Baptism dead people for salvation.

11. The Mormon Teachings and Doctrines

A. Salvation

LESSON 1

IS THE MORMON RELIGION CHRISTIAN

(Another name) JESUS CHRIST LATTER DAY SAINTS

1Thess. 5:21 “Prove all things; 2Tim. 2:15 “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a

workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

Before we study the Mormon teachings we will first look at the Word of God and

consider some very important truths that we need to adhere to and use as a platform to dive into

their teachings and compare them with the authority of God’s Word.

Generally speaking, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are

model citizens. They are devout in their beliefs, family-oriented, are clean in language and

appearance, detest smoking, drinking, and are active in the PTA, as well as in politics. Mormons

are often the first to show up on your doorstep with a fresh-baked loaf of bread when you move

next door to them. They are hard-working and honest people. LDS kids, for the most part, are

the kind of kids parents like their own children to "hang out" with because they tend to stay out

of trouble and have strong moral values.

The question then begs to be asked, "So what is the problem? They sound like good

Christian people." I will not ridicule, belittle or show any disrespect to any Mormons and show

in love that the teachings of the Mormon Hierarchy are erroneously false.

The problem exists in the fact that the "gospel" as defined by their so called Christian

vocabulary is a false gospel founded on the teachings of a false prophet and false "apostles the

Mormon Hierarchy." Furthermore, Mormonism is not just another denomination of Christianity.

Rather, it is a quasi-Christian religion that is not founded on Biblical truths. This comes as a

bold statement and one to which Mormons would most likely take offense. What are the reasons

then, for making such an assertion and why is it important and urgent for a true Christian to

know? 1Thess. 5:21 “Prove all things;”

I love the Mormons and they are very good people and they have every right under the

Constitution of the United States to practice their faith as long it does not effect, hurt, harm or

take away anyone’s unalienable rights of Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.

What is the definition of Religion: It is a collection, a standard or set of beliefs.

Definition of Belief: Opinions as thoughts upon which people base their theology, religion,

actions, desires, values, morals, ethics, etc.

A collection, a set or standard of religious beliefs is based upon some foundational view.

A religious belief system could come from a volume of books that someone wrote in the past or

the present. It could be another version of the Bible, it could be from an assortment of beliefs of

Professors or Theologians. But whatever the source it has to be sought out if it is True or False,

Right or Wrong.

Turn in your Bibles: Jn. 18:37, 38 “Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus

answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into

the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my

voice. Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto

the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him no fault at all.”

Truth has to be fixed and unchanging, or it would not be truth.

It does not matter how much you believe something to be true unless it matches up to the source

of truth.

Nothing is true just because you believe it is true.

Being sincere or really sincere of what you believe does not make something true because people

can be sincerely wrong.

Subjective Truth is based on an individual’s own opinions or preferences, likes or dislikes.

Objective Truth is based upon reality.

Truth: There is nothing humble about truth. It is absolute. It seeks not to negotiate the veracity

of its substance by committee or vote.

Truth: It is eternal. It is inflexible. It is not an opinion.

Truth is not a What, Truth is a Who. The Lord Jesus Christ.

Truth is the fidelity to the original.

Fidelity means the same as or equal to.

Jn. 1:1 - 17“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not

any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light

shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. There was a man sent from God,

whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men

through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.

That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was in the

world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and

his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the

sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the

will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt

among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace

and truth. John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that

cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me. And of his fulness have all we

received, and grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by

Jesus Christ” Col. 1:12 - 19 “Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be

partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of

darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption

through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: Who is the image of the invisible God, the

firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are

in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or

powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all

things consist. And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn

from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that

in him should all fulness dwell;” Phil 2:4 - 11 “Look not every man on his own things, but every

man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who,

being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God. But made himself of no

reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And

being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the

death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is

above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and

things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus

Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Jn. 14:6 “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the

Father, but by me.” Jn. 17:17 “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” Ps. 33:4

“For the word of the LORD is right; and all his works are done in truth.”

Is. 25:1 “O LORD, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done

wonderful things; thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.”

Deut. 32:4 “He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth

and without iniquity, just and right is he.”

Jesus Christ is the truth because He is the fidelity to God. The Bible is truth because it is the

fidelity to the original, God Himself. Rom. 3:4 “let God be true, but every man a liar;”

Truth is not a What but a Who for Christ is the very person and nature of God that defines Truth.

Why is the Bible true? Because it is the fidelity to and of the Original. It is the Person of the

Lord Jesus Christ. He is the Word. He is Truth and Grace. Eph. 1:2 “Grace be to you, and

peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Why is murder and lying wrong? There is no fidelity to the original, because Jesus Christ is Life

and Truth.

Why is Justice and Purity right? There is fidelity to the Original, because the Lord Jesus Christ

is Just and Pure.

When a person or group or organization continues to refuse, reject absolute Truth they become,

foolish, and accept that which is false, immoral and unnatural as being natural. They refuse to

glorify God which leads to worthless thinking, moral insensitivity, religious stupidity and

idolatry. In other words they are in rebellion against God. Rom. 1:18 - 32 “For the wrath of

God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the

truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for

God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are

clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and

Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him

not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart

was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of

the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted

beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts

of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth

of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed

for ever. Amen. For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did

change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the

natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that

which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.

And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a

reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all

unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder,

debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters,

inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers,

without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they

which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them

that do them.”

So is the Mormon Religion Christian. No, because they reject the Truth the Lord Jesus Christ

who is the fidelity of the original of the very person and nature of God that defines truth.

2 Thes. 2:10 “And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they

received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.” 1Tim. 6:3 – 5 “If any man teach

otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to

the doctrine which is according to godliness; He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about

questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, Perverse

disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness:

from such withdraw thyself.”

The Word of God is trustworthy and reliable more than our own personal views, personal

opinions, personal values and culture.

Truth stands on the final authority of God’s Word.

Mormon Religion does not stand on the truth of the authority of God’s Word.

Jude 3, 4 “Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was

needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith

which was once delivered unto the saints. For there are certain men crept in unawares, who

were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God

into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.” Phil. 1:27

“Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see

you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind

striving together for the faith of the gospel.” 1Thes. 5:21 “Prove all things; hold fast that which

is good.” Col 2:8 “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the

tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.” 1Tim. 4:1-4 “I charge

thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at

his appearing and his kingdom; Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove,

rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not

endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having

itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.”

In the next two lessons we will cover the background history of this man who founded the

Mormon Religion Joseph Fielding Smith Jr.

LESSON 2

The Background History of Joseph Fielding Smith Jr.

It is a must to look into the history of this man to understand his troubled life. We will

see that Joseph Smith Jr. was a liar, thief, con artist, adulterer, manipulator and a false teacher.

On Dec. 23, 1805 Joseph Fielding Smith Jr. was born to a poor family in Sharon, Vermont to

Joseph and Lucy Mack Smith, a sometime working class couple because it was known that

Joseph Sr. sometimes did not like the plough. Smith Jr. was the third child of ten children and

was stricken with a crippling bone infection at the age of eight and hobbled on crutches as a child

but recovered from the infection. He received little training and formal education. In 1816 – 17,

after a failed investment in exporting ginseng to China, Joseph Smith Sr. moved his family west

to the village of Palmyra in western New York. By July 1820, the family obtained a mortgage

for a 100-acre farm in the nearby town of Manchester, where they did not do much better

financially and reduced their living standard to poverty level and they never really recovered. It

was an area that fueled repeated religious revivals which became to be known as the Second

Great Awakening.

Smith and his family participated in the sectarian fervor and spiritual mystery of their day.

Joseph Jr. watched his family become increasingly divided along denominational lines. Some of

the family joined the Methodists and Presbyterians while others were partial to the Universalists.

Joseph viewed these issues with great interest as they frequented family discussions, yet he

remained undecided. While attending various local congregations, he discovered a gift for

religious exhortation and became marginally involved in one of the local denominations.

Although he may never have joined a church in his youth, Joseph Smith Jr. participated in church

classes and read the Bible. With his family, he took part in religious folk magic, a common

practice but one condemned by many clergymen. Like many people of that era, both his parents

and his maternal grandfather it is said that they had mystical visions or dreams that they believed

communicated messages from God.

The Smith family supplemented its meager farm income by treasure-digging, likewise

relatively common in contemporary New England. Joseph claimed an ability to use seer stones

for locating lost items and buried treasure. To do so, Smith would put a stone in a white

stovepipe hat and would then see the required information in reflections given off by the stone.

According to some people, it was around this time that young Smith began wondering

which of the many Christian denominations was the "true" Christian faith. Smith later said that

he had his own first vision in 1820, around the age of 14 in which God told him his sins were

forgiven and that all Christian denominations were false and had fallen away from the true faith,

and advised him not to join any of them, and promised to restore the true faith.

In 1823, Smith around the age of 17 while praying for forgiveness from his "gratification

of many appetites," Smith said he was visited at night by an angel named Moroni, who revealed

the location of a buried book of two golden plates on which was written the history of two

ancient Native American Christian tribes. The golden plates he said was written by Ether,

Mormon, Lehi and Nephi (ancient Native American authors), and also discovered at the site the

breastplate "Urim and Thummim," a pair of stones that Smith said assisted him in his translation

of the ancient plates which consisted of Hebrew scripture quotations and genealogies written by

Laban. The location of these articles were hidden in a hill named Cumorah near his home.

Smith said he attempted to remove the plates the next morning after the angel Moroni revealed

their whereabouts but was unsuccessful because the angel struck him down. He was not allowed

to remove the artifacts from the site immediately. He said that he was directed to return to the

site at each Autumn Equinox for four years, until 1827.

During the next four years, Smith made annual visits to Cumorah, only to return without

the plates because he claimed that he had not brought with him the "right person" required by the

angel.

In the early 1820’s, a traveling magician and diviner stopped in Palmyra. The diviner

claimed he could locate water and buried treasure using magic stones for a fee of three dollars a

day. Witnesses said that Smith became very interested in the visitor, and spent as much time

with him as he could trying to learn his skills. But eventually, when no treasure had been found

and no one was any longer willing to pay for his services, he moved on. Smith carried on the

practice of divination in Palmyra, with some magic stones of his own. He is reported to have

found some lost tools using the stones. But many said that he buried them previously so that he

could con others. Glass lookers were not uncommon in New York farm country in the 1820's.

They were shysters and con men who claimed that by looking into a piece of glass (or sometimes

a special stone) they could see things others could not, including the locations of buried treasure.

They would then charge poor farmers for this service to aid them in finding these great treasures

supposedly buried beneath the ground. Of course none of these "treasures" were ever found. By

1826 Joseph Smith Jr. had developed a reputation as a glass looker (also known as a money

digger). Smith used a seer stone rather than a piece of glass. He would place the seer stone into

a stovepipe hat which he would then cover with his face. By peering at the stone while in the hat

he could see things which were far removed from him, even buried under the ground. On March

20, 1826, Joseph Smith, Jr. was brought before the justice of the peace in Bainbridge, New York.

On court records he is referred to as "Joseph Smith the Glass looker." The charge: disturbing

the peace.

Smith's divining coning stories still brought interest to a visitor from eastern New York, a

man by the name of Josiah Stowell. He had come to Smith to hire him for his money digging

abilities who believed the Spaniards long ago had left buried treasure on his property. With

Smith's assumed great powers Stowell would be able to find the great Spanish treasure. So in

1826, Smith and his father traveled east in order to assist in locating the buried treasure, at a fee

of three dollars a day.

Smith Jr. and his father lived at a farm in Susquehanna Valley in Pennsylvania while a

party of diggers, who all chipped in for Smith Jr.'s fee, searched for the Spanish treasure just

over the border near Damascus, New York. But no treasure was ever found, and especially after

Smith suggested that the treasure had sunk deeper due to "enchantment," his employers lost their

faith in Smith's gifts and believed him to be a charlatan. His father then returned home to

Palmyra, but Stowell himself never doubted Smith's abilities, but many of those close to Stowell

felt the old man was being taken for a ride by Smith and brought him up on charges. Arad

Stowell, Josiah's son, testified that he had personally tested Joseph Smith's abilities and saw

clearly that it was nothing but a con job. With his testimony and that of two other men involved

with Josiah Stowell, Joseph Smith Jr. was found guilty. He was charge as an imposter.

It was here not too far from the Stowell’s property that Joseph Smith had met Emma Hale

a schoolteacher in the area, but Ms. Hale was initially aloof to his advances, but Smith was

persistent. While wooing her, Smith worked also as a farmhand and went to school part-time.

When Emma finally warmed to him, Smith encountered another obstacle - her father. He was

one of the diggers who felt fooled by Smith and he refused to allow his daughter to marry him.

Isaac Hale was among the witnesses who testified against him in the imposter charge.

Despite such opposition, Emma remained interested in Smith, and the couple eloped and

went to New York in 1827. The newlyweds went to live with Smith's parents in Palmyra until

they returned to Pennsylvania to pick up Emma's belongings. Upon arrival, Joseph Smith

tearfully pleaded Emma’s father for forgiveness and promised to be a better person and a good

husband. Mr. Hale relented, and offered Smith a small house on his property.

On September 22, 1827 Joseph Smith claimed that his stone told him that Emma was the

key to obtaining the plates when Smith went with her to the hill. This time, he said, he retrieved

the plates and placed them in a locked chest. Then he undertook the translation of the plates.

For at least some of his earliest translation, Smith said he used the "Urim and Thummim," a pair

of stones he said were buried with the golden plates. In a manner similar to his method for

finding treasure, he claimed he translated by gazing at the stone or stones in the bottom of his hat,

excluding all light so that he could see the translated words. The plates themselves were not

directly consulted. Smith usually translated in full view of witnesses, but sometimes concealed

the process by raising a curtain or dictating from another room and, sometimes with his head

buried in his hat, and always using the two special stones, Smith dictated the English translation

to various scribes - among them his wife, Emma, Martin Harris, and Oliver Cowdery. Later

translations, however, was with a single chocolate-colored stone he had found in 1822 and used

for treasure hunting.

Sometimes the tablets were not even present at the time they were being translated. He

then said the angel commanded him not to show the plates to anyone else but to publish their

translation, reputed to be a religious chronicle written of two ancient Native American Christian

tribes in an unknown language. Although by then Smith had left his treasure hunting company,

his former associates believed he had double-crossed them by taking for himself what they

considered joint property. They ransacked places where a competing treasure-seer said the plates

were hidden, and Smith soon realized that he could not accomplish the translation in Palmyra.

In October 1827, Smith and his pregnant wife moved from Palmyra to Harmony (now

Oakland), Pennsylvania, aided by money from their well-to-do neighbor Martin Harris. Living

near his disapproving in-laws, Smith transcribed some of the "reformed Egyptian" characters he

said were engraved on the plates and dictated their translations to his wife.

Smith may have considered giving up the translation because of opposition from his in-

laws, but in February 1828, Martin Harris arrived to spur him on by taking the characters and

their translations to a few prominent scholars. Harris claimed that one of the scholars he visited,

Charles Anthon, initially authenticated the characters and their translation, then recanted upon

hearing that Smith had received the plates from an angel. Although Anthon denied this, Harris

returned to Harmony in April 1828 motivated to act as Smith's scribe.

Translation continued until mid-June 1828, now about at this same time or shortly after

Smith's wife Emma gave birth to a stillborn son. Harris began having doubts about the existence

of the golden plates until Harris importuned Smith to let him take the Book of Lehi a 116-page

English manuscript translation, but the manuscript met a major obstacle with Martin Harris' wife

Lucy. When Martin brought the Book of Lehi home to show Lucy, she promptly "lost" it. It is

generally speculated that Lucy was a skeptic and wished to expose Smith by demonstrating

expected discrepancies between the original and a replacement translation that he would have to

write. But Smith said the angel had taken away the plates and he had lost his ability to translate

until September 22, 1828, when they were restored. Instead of re-translating the book, however,

Smith reported that God had taken away the special stones as punishment for the loss of the

manuscript. For his later translations, Smith used a single seer stone. He later translated Nephi,

which described the same events as Lehi. The tablets Smith translated tell the story of an

appearance of Christ in America after his death and resurrection in Jerusalem.

Smith did not begin translating again in earnest until April 1829, when he met Oliver

Cowdery, a teacher and dowser, who now became Smith's scribe. The two of them translated

full time between April and early June 1829, and then moved to Fayette, New York where they

continued to work at the home of Cowdery's friend Peter Whitmer.

When they found that the translation spoke of an institutional church and a requirement

for baptism, Smith and Cowdery baptized each other, years later they claimed that John the

Baptist had appeared and taught them water baptism and ordained them to Aaronic Priesthood .

At that time, Smith and Cowdery said they were commissioned as the first two elders of a new

church. Translation was completed around July 1, 1829. Knowing that potential converts to the

planned church might find Smith's story of the plates incredible, Smith asked a group of eleven

witnesses, including Martin Harris and male members of the Whitmer and Smith families, to sign

a statement testifying that they had seen the golden plates. Secular scholars argue that the

witnesses thought they saw the plates with their "spiritual eyes," or that Smith showed them

something physical like fabricated tin plates, or that they signed the statement out of loyalty or

under pressure from Smith. According to Smith, the angel Moroni took back the plates after

Smith was finished using them.

The translation, known as the Book of Mormon, was published in Palmyra on March 26,

1830, by printer E. B. Grandin. Martin Harris financed the publication by mortgaging his farm.

Soon thereafter on April 6, 1830, Smith and his followers formally organized the Church of

Christ claiming it to be a restoration of primitive Christianity. Other small branches were

established in Palmyra, Fayette, and Colesville, New York.

The Book of Mormon brought Smith regional notoriety, but also strong opposition by

those who remembered Smith's money-digging and his 1826 trial near Colesville. Soon after

Smith reportedly performed an exorcism in Colesville, he was again tried as a disorderly person

but was acquitted. Even so, Smith and Cowdery had to flee Colesville to escape a gathering mob.

Probably referring to this period of flight, Smith told years later that Apostles Peter, Paul and

James appeared to the two, investing them in the Melchizadek Priesthood which is apostolic

authority.

When Oliver Cowdery and other church members attempted to exercise independent

authority—as when Book of Mormon witness Orson Hyde used his seer stone to locate the

American New Jerusalem prophesied by the Book of Mormon—Smith responded by establishing

himself as the sole prophet. Smith disputed Hyde's location for the New Jerusalem, but

dispatched Cowdery to lead a mission to Missouri to find its true location and to proselytize the

Native Americans. Smith also dictated a lost "Book of Enoch," telling how the Biblical Enoch

had established a city of Zion of such civic goodness that God had taken it to heaven. The

budding of this false church faced persecution almost from the start, and began a gradual move

west as a result.

On their way to Missouri, Cowdery's party passed through the Kirtland, Ohio area and

converted prominent preacher Sidney Rigdon and over a hundred members of his Disciples of

Christ congregation, more than doubling the size of the church. In Kirtland and in Jackson

county, Missouri (where some Mormons had migrated), Smith founded the communistic United

Order of Enoch.

Sidney Rigdon visited New York and quickly became second in command of the church,

to the discomfort of Smith's earlier followers. At Sidney Rigdon’s suggestion, Smith began a

revision of the Bible in April 1831on which he worked sporadically until its completion in 1833.

In the face of acute and growing opposition in New York, Smith announced that Kirtland was the

"eastern boundary" of the New Jerusalem, and that the Saints must gather there. Moving the

church in 1831 to Kirtland, Ohio, Smith attracted new converts. By the summer of 1835, there

were fifteen hundred to two thousand Mormons in the vicinity of Kirtland. They all were

expecting Smith to lead them shortly to the Millennial kingdom. Some of these converts of

Kirtland he sent to establish a holy city of "Zion" the New Jerusalem in Jackson County,

Missouri. Meanwhile Oliver Cowdery's mission to the Indians was a failure.

After he visited Jackson County in July 1831, Smith agreed and pronounced the county's

rugged outpost Independence to be the "center place" of Zion. Rigdon, however, disapproved of

the location, and for most of the 1830s, the church was divided between Ohio and Missouri.

Smith continued to live in Ohio but visited Missouri again in early 1832 in order to prevent a

rebellion of prominent Saints, including Cowdery, who believed Zion was being neglected.

Smith's trip was hastened by a mob of residents led by former Saints who were incensed over the

United Order and Smith's political power. The mob beat Smith and Rigdon unconscious and

tarred and feathered them.

The old Jackson Countians resented the Mormon newcomers for various political and

religious reasons. Mob attacks began in July 1833, but Smith advised the Mormons to patiently

bear them until a fourth attack, which would permit vengeance to be taken. Nevertheless, once

they began to defend themselves, the Mormons were brutally expelled from the county. Under

authority of revelations directing Smith to lead the church like a modern Moses to redeem Zion

by power and avenge God's enemies, he led to Missouri a paramilitary expedition, later called

Zion's Camp. When the camp found itself outnumbered, Smith retreated and produced a

revelation explaining that the church was unworthy to redeem Zion in part because of the failure

of the recently disbanded United Order. Redemption of Zion would have to wait until after the

elders of the church could receive another endowment of heavenly power, this time in the

Kirtland Temple then under construction.

LESSON 3

The Background History of Joseph Smith Jr.

Zion's Camp was a major failure that stunned Smith for months and resulted in a crisis in

Kirtland. But Zion's Camp also led to a transformation in Mormon leadership and culture. Just

before Zion's Camp left Kirtland, Smith disbanded the United Order and changed the name of

the church to "Church of Latter Day Saints." After the Camp returned, Smith drew heavily from

its participants to establish five governing bodies in the church, all of equal authority to check

one another. He also produced fewer revelations, relying more heavily on the authority of his

own teaching, and he altered and expanded many of the previous revelations to reflect recent

changes in theology and practice, publishing them as the Doctrine and Covenants. Smith also

"translated" a papyrus obtained from a traveling mummy show, later published as the Book of

Abraham. The Saints built the Kirtland Temple at great cost, and at the temple's dedication in

March 1836, they participated in the prophesied endowment, a scene of visions, angelic

visitations, prophesying, speaking and singing in tongues, and other spiritual experiences.

In late 1837 after the dedication of the Kirtland temple, Smith's life "descended into a

tangle of intrigue and conflict" a series of internal disputes led to the collapse of the Kirtland

Mormon community. Since 1835, the church had publicly denied accusations that members

were practicing polygamy, but behind the scenes, a rift developed between Smith and Oliver

Cowdery over the issue. Smith had by some accounts been teaching a polygamy doctrine as

early as 1831. Sometime after 1830 when the adolescent Fanny Alger started working as a

serving girl in the Smith household, Smith entered a relationship with her, and by 1833 he may

have married her. Cowdery, one of the few who knew about this relationship, called it a "dirty,

nasty, filthy affair," a characterization Smith rejected.

Even more troubling was Kirtland's financial state. Building the temple left the church

deeply in debt, and Smith was hounded by creditors. When Smith heard about treasure hidden in

Salem, Massachusetts, he traveled there to search for it after receiving a revelation that God had

"much treasure in this city" and that Smith would be given power to pay his debts. After a

month, he returned empty-handed. Smith then turned to wildcat banking, establishing the

Kirtland Safety Society in January 1837, which issued bank notes capitalized in part by real

estate. Relying on a revelation, Smith invested heavily in the notes and encouraged the Saints to

buy them as a religious duty. The bank failed within a month. As a result, the Kirtland Saints

suffered intense pressure from debt collectors and severe price volatility. Smith was held

responsible for the failure, and there were widespread defections from the church, including

many of Smith's closest advisers. After a warrant was issued for Smith's arrest on a charge of

banking fraud, Smith and Rigdon fled Kirtland for Missouri on the night of January 12, 1838.

After leaving Jackson County, the Saints in Missouri established the town of Far West.

Smith's plans to redeem Zion in Jackson County had lapsed by 1838, and after Smith and Rigdon

arrived in Missouri, Far West became the new Mormon "Zion." In Missouri, the church also

received a new name: the "Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints," and construction began

on a new temple. Soon after Smith and Rigdon arrived at Far West, hundreds of disaffected

Saints in Kirtland, suddenly realizing "the enormity of their loss," followed them to Missouri.

But Smith was unable to reconcile with many of oldest and most prominent leaders of the church,

and he purged those critics who had not yet resigned.

Though Smith hated violence, his experiences led him to believe that his faith's survival

required greater militancy against anti-Mormons and Mormon traitors. With his knowledge and

at least partial approval, recent convert Sampson Avard formed a covert organization called the

Danites to intimidate Mormon dissenters and oppose anti-Mormon militia units. Sidney Rigdon

was working to restore the United Order, but lawsuits by Oliver Cowdery and other dissenters

threatened that plan. After Rigdon's "Salt Sermon" ordered Mormons to "trample [the

dissenters] into the earth," the Danites expelled these dissenters from the county with Smith's

approval. In a keynote speech at the town's Fourth of July celebration, Rigdon issued similar

threats against non-Mormons, promising a "war of extermination" should Mormons be attacked.

After Rigdon's oration, Smith shouted "Hosannah!" and allowed the speech to be published as a

pamphlet.

Rigdon's July 4 oration produced a flood of anti-Mormon rhetoric in Missouri

newspapers and stump speeches during the political campaign leading up to the August 6, 1838

Missouri elections. In Daviess County, where Mormon influence was increasing because of their

new settlement of Adam-ondi-Ahman (this is where the Mormons believed that Adam and Eve

lived after being expelled from the Garden of Eden), this election descended into violence when

non-Mormons sought to prevent Mormons from voting. Although there were no immediate

deaths, the election scuffles initiated the Mormon War of 1838, which quickly escalated as non-

Mormon vigilantes raided and burned Mormon farms. Meanwhile, under Smith's general

oversight and command, the Danites and other Mormon forces pillaged non-Mormon towns.

Before a cheering crowd of Saints, Smith declared that should there be non-Mormon attacks,

Mormons would establish their "religion by the sword" and that he would be "a second

Mohammed." His angry rhetoric possibly stirred up greater militancy among Mormons than he

intended. When Mormons attacked the Missouri state militia at the Battle of Crooked River,

Governor Boggs ordered that the Mormons be "exterminated or driven from the state." Before

word of this order got out, non-Mormon vigilantes surprised and killed about 40 Mormons,

including children, in the Haun's Mill massacre, effectively ending the war.

On November 1, 1838, the Saints surrendered to 2,500 state troops, and agreed to forfeit

their property and leave the state. Smith was court-martialed and nearly executed for treason,

but militiaman Alexander Doniphan, who was also the Saints' attorney, probably saved Smith's

life by insisting that he was a civilian. Smith was then sent to a state court for a preliminary

hearing, where several of his former allies, including Danite commander Sampson Avard, turned

state's evidence. Smith and five others, including Rigdon, were charged with "overt acts of

treason," and transferred to the jail at Liberty, Missouri to await trial.

Smith's months in prison with Rigdon strained their relationship, and Brigham Young

rose in prominence as Smith's defender. Under Young's leadership, about 14,000 Saints made

their way to Illinois and searched for land to purchase. Smith bid his time writing contemplative

statements directed mainly to Mormons. He did not deny responsibility for the Danites, but he

said he had been ignorant of Avard's extreme militancy. Though it had not been an issue in his

preliminary hearing, he denied rumors of polygamy, as he quietly planned how to reveal the

principle to his followers. Many Saints now considered Smith a fallen prophet, but he assured

them he still had the heavenly keys. He directed the Saints to collect and publish all their stories

of persecution, and to moderate their antagonism to non-Mormons. Smith and his companions

tried to escape at least twice during their four-month imprisonment, but on April 6, 1839, on

their way to a different jail after their grand jury hearing, they succeeded by bribing the sheriff.

The Mormon expulsion was an embarrassment to Missouri, and Illinois was happy to

welcome the refugees who gathered along the banks of the Mississippi. Smith purchased high-

priced swampy woodland in the hamlet of Commerce and urged his followers to move there.

Promoting the image of the Saints as an oppressed minority, he unsuccessfully petitioned the

federal government for help in obtaining reparations. During a malaria epidemic, Smith anointed

the suffering with oil and blessed them; but he also sent off the ailing Brigham Young and other

members of the Quorum of the Twelve to missions in Europe. These missionaries found many

willing converts in Great Britain, often factory workers, poor even by the standards of American

Saints.

The religion also attracted a few wealthy and influential converts, including John C.

Bennett, M.D., the Illinois quartermaster general. Bennett used his connections in the Illinois

legislature to obtain an unusually liberal charter for the new city, which Smith named "Nauvoo"

(Hebrew ּוואָנ, meaning "to be beautiful"). The charter granted the city virtual autonomy,

authorized a university, and granted Nauvoo habeas corpus power—which saved Smith's life by

allowing him to fend off extradition to Missouri from which he was still a fugitive. The charter

also authorized the Nauvoo Legion an autonomous militia with actions limited only by state and

federal constitutions. "Lieutenant General" Smith and "Major General" Bennett became its

commanders, thereby controlling by far the largest body of armed men in Illinois. Smith, who

was often a poor judge of character, made Bennett Assistant President of the church, and Bennett

was elected Nauvoo's first mayor. Though Mormon general authorities controlled Nauvoo's civil

government, the city promised an unusually liberal guarantee of religious freedom.

The early Nauvoo years were a period of doctrinal innovation. Smith introduced baptism

for the dead in 1840, and in 1841, construction began on the Nauvoo Temple as a place for

recovering lost ancient knowledge. An 1841 revelation promised the restoration of the "fulness

of the priesthood," and in May 1842, Smith inaugurated a revised endowment or "first

anointing." The endowment resembled rites of freemasonry that Smith had observed two months

earlier when he had been initiated into the Nauvoo Masonic lodge. At first the endowment was

open only to men, who once initiated became part of the Anointed Quorum. For women, Smith

introduced the Relief Society, a service club and sorority within which Smith predicted women

would receive "the keys of the kingdom." Smith also elaborated on his plan for a millennial

kingdom, no longer envisioning the building of Zion in Nauvoo. He now viewed Zion as

encompassing all of North and South America, all Mormon settlements being "stakes"of Zion's

metaphorical tent. Zion also became less a refuge from an impending Tribulation than a great

building project. In the summer of 1842, Smith revealed a plan to establish the millennial

Kingdom of God, which would eventually establish theocratic rule over the whole earth.

In April 1841, Smith secretly wed Louisa Beaman as a plural wife, and during the next

two and a half years he may have married thirty additional women, ten of whom were already

married to other men, and about a third of them teenagers, including two fourteen-year-old girls.

Meanwhile he publicly and repeatedly denied that he advocated polygamy. Smith told at least

some of his potential wives that marriage to him would ensure their spiritual exaltation.

Although Smith's first wife Emma may have known about some of these marriages, she almost

certainly did not know the extent of Smith's polygamous activities. Smith kept the doctrine of

plural marriage secret except for potential wives and a few of his closest male associates,

including Bennett. Smith's plural relationships were preceded by a "priesthood marriage," which

Smith believed legitimized the relationships and made them non-adulterous. Bennett, on the

other hand, ignored even perfunctory ceremonies. When embarrassing rumors of "spiritual

wifery" got abroad, Smith forced Bennett's resignation as Nauvoo mayor. In retaliation, Bennett

wrote "lurid exposés of life in Nauvoo."

By mid-1842, popular opinion had turned against the Saints. Thomas C. Sharp, editor of

the Warsaw Signal became a sharp critic after Smith attacked the paper. When Lilburn Boggs,

the Governor of Missouri, was shot by an unknown assailant on May 6, 1842, many suspected

Smith's involvement, because of rumors that Smith had predicted his assassination. Evidence

suggests that the shooter was Porter Rockwell, a former Danite and one of Smith's bodyguards.

Smith went into hiding, but he ultimately avoided extradition to Missouri because any

involvement in the crime would have occurred in Illinois. Rockwell was tried and acquitted. In

June 1843, Illinois Governor Thomas Ford issued an extradition writ against Smith, but Smith

countered with a Nauvoo writ of habeas corpus. Ford later wrote that this incident caused a

majority of Illinois residents to favor expelling Mormons from Illinois.

In 1843, Emma reluctantly allowed Smith to marry four women who had been living in

the Smith household—two of whom Smith had already married without her knowledge. Emma

also participated with Smith in the first "sealing" ceremony, intended to bind their marriage for

eternity. However, Emma soon regretted her decision to accept plural marriage and forced the

other wives from the household, nagging Smith to abandon the practice. In response, Smith

dictated a revelation declaring that if Emma refused to accept Smith's other wives, she would be

"destroyed." When Smith's brother Hyrum presented the revelation to Emma, she became

abusive towards him. Nevertheless, in the fall of 1843, after Smith allowed women to be

initiated into the Anointed Quorum, Emma participated with Smith in the first second anointing.

According to Smith, this ritual was the prophesied "fulness of the priesthood" in which

participants were ordained "kings and priests of the Most High God" and thus fulfilled what

Smith called "[a] perfect law of Theocracy." The Anointed Quorum became Smith's advisory

body for political matters.

In December 1843, under the authority of the Anointed Quorum, Smith petitioned

Congress to make Nauvoo an independent territory with the right to call out federal troops in its

defense. Then, Smith announced his own third-party candidacy for President of the United States,

suspending regular proselytizing and sending out the Quorum of the Twelve and hundreds of

other political missionaries. In March 1844, following a dispute with a federal bureaucrat, Smith

organized the secret Council of Fifty with authority to decide which national or state laws

Mormons should obey. The Council was also to select a site for a large Mormon settlement in

Texas, California, or Oregon, where Mormons could live under theocratic law beyond other

governmental control. In effect, the Council was a shadow world government, a first step toward

creating a global "theodemocracy." One of the Council's first acts was to ordain Smith as king of

this millennial monarchy.

By the spring of 1844, a rift had developed between Smith and a half dozen of his closest

associates, most notably his trusted counselor William Law and Robert Foster, a general of the

Nauvoo Legion. Law and Foster disagreed with Smith about how to manage Nauvoo's theocratic

economy, and both believed Smith had proposed marriage to their wives. After the dissidents

organized, and one of them was heard predicting an uprising in Nauvoo, Smith excommunicated

them on April 18, 1844. The dissidents formed a competing church and the following month

procured grand jury indictments against Smith for polygamy and other crimes in Carthage, the

county seat. In response, Smith and his followers unleashed a barrage of defamation against the

dissidents, and in a public sermon, Smith vehemently denied he had more than one wife. After

the dissidents published a prospectus for a new newspaper that referred to Smith as a "self-

constituted monarch," the Council of Fifty offered to reinstate Law, but he refused to return to

the church unless it renounced polygamy.

Therefore, on June 7, 1844, the dissidents published the first and only issue of the

Nauvoo Expositor, calling for reform within the church. The paper decried polygamy and

Smith's new "doctrines of many Gods" (taught recently in his King Follet discourse) and alluded

to Smith's kingship, promising to present evidence of its allegations in succeeding issues. At a

meeting of the Nauvoo city council, Smith again denied that the church was practicing polygamy.

On the theory that the paper threatened to bring the countryside down on the Mormons, the

council ordered the Nauvoo Legion to destroy the Expositor's printing press as a public nuisance.

Smith failed to foresee that suppressing the paper would sooner incite riots than allowing

it to continue publishing. Destruction of the newspaper provoked a strident call to arms by

Thomas C. Sharp, editor of the Warsaw Signal. Fearing an uprising, Smith mobilized the

Nauvoo Legion on June 18 and declared martial law. Carthage responded by mobilizing its

small detachment of the state militia, and Illinois Governor Thomas Ford appeared, threatening

to raise a larger militia unless Smith and the Nauvoo city council surrendered themselves. After

instructing his clerk to hide or destroy the minutes of the Council of Fifty and ordering the

Anointed Quorum to burn their temple garments, Smith fled across the Mississippi River.

Nevertheless, under pressure from Emma and other Saints, he returned and surrendered to Ford.

On June 23, Smith and his brother Hyrum were taken to Carthage to stand trial for inciting a riot.

Once the Smiths were in custody, the charges were increased to treason against Illinois.

Smith and Hyrum were held in Carthage Jail. On the morning of 27 June 1844, Smith

sent a letter ordering the Nauvoo Legion to attack Carthage and free him, but the acting

commander quietly disobeyed the order. Later that day, an armed group with blackened faces

stormed the jail and killed Hyrum instantly with a shot to the face. Smith fought back with a

pepper-box pistol that had been smuggled into the prison but was shot while jumping from a

window, then shot and killed as he lay on the ground. Smith was buried in Nauvoo. Five men

were tried for his murder; all were acquitted.

Brigham Young was ordained President of the Church in December 1847, more than two

and a half years after Smith's death and moved the Mormon Church on to Utah where it resides

to this day. Sidney Rigdon became the president of a separate church organization based in

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and other potential successors emerged to lead what became other

denominations of the movement.

Joseph's death threw both the church and Emma's family into disorder. Emma was left a

pregnant widow—it would be on November 17, 1844, that she gave birth to David Hyrum Smith,

her and Joseph's last child together. When he and the majority of the Latter Day Saints of

Nauvoo abandoned the city in early 1846, Emma and her children remained behind in the mostly

empty town. Emma and her children continued to live as unaffiliated Latter Day Saints. Nearly

two years later, a close friend and non-Mormon, Major Lewis C. Bidamon, proposed marriage

and became Emma's second husband on December 23, 1847. Bidamon moved into the Mansion

House and became stepfather to Emma's children. Emma and Bidamon attempted to operate a

store and to continue using their large house as a hotel, but Nauvoo had too few residents and

visitors to make either venture very profitable. Emma and her family remained rich in real estate

but poor in capital. Emma died in the Nauvoo House on April 30, 1879.

LESSON 4

The Mormon Doctrines and Teachings

I Kings 18:20-21 “So Ahab sent unto all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets

together unto mount Carmel. And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye

between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the

people answered him not a word.”

We must compare the Mormon doctrines and teachings to see if they are true and the only

way to compare doctrines and teachings if they are truth is to see if it adheres to the final

authority of God’s Word. Everything that is taught from any church denomination must come

under the final authority of God’s Word. If it cannot be found to be under the authority of God’s

Word it is a false teaching and must be rejected. True Born Again believers must without any

reservation or doubt adhere to the Final Authority of God’s Word the King James Bible.

All organizations are run by humans and if you search hard enough, of course you'll find

many or a few isolated examples of deception. That is why at Faith Baptist we must check the

balances of teachings and doctrines and that everything done here is done under the final

authority of God’s Word that there is no deception found. We must not stray from it or we will

have leaven leak into this Body of Saints and destroy the true mission of the Body of Believers

and God’s blessings.

"The right to lie in the service of your own interests is highly valued and frequently

exercised"-Nero Wolfe. The Mormon Church has its own interests and there so called Christian

vocabulary covers up their false teachings.

The next quote is from a couple that wrote a letter of resignation from the Mormon Church in

2007 to the Bishop in the Mormon Church.

“In an effort to avoid some of the expected heartaches ahead, and to squelch forthcoming

rumors, we are sending you this letter. This is to inform you that as of Sunday, (Date?), we are

terminating our membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. We request the

permanent removal of both of our names from church membership records.”

It was B.H. Roberts's loss of faith in the Book of Mormon as expressed in his 400 page

manuscript "Book of Mormon Difficulties" that helped seal the book's fate for us. Also, the fact

that "Mormonism" or "the fullness of the gospel," is not even contained in the Book of Mormon.

Doctrinal conflicts with the Bible came later as Joseph became bolder. We now reject all of the

church's non-biblical teachings. We especially reject any dilution of Christ's' sacred atonement,

such as the offensive doctrine of "blood atonement," as if we could "add to" what the Savior has

already done for us. When hanging on the cross, "He declared, 'It is finished' (in Greek, literally

meaning: ' Paid in full...'"

Let us take a look at these teachings from the Mormon Hierarchy. Remember we love

the Mormon people and want them to come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

“If our ideas about God are wrong, then we'll be wrong about our other doctrines too, because

ultimately all our beliefs stem from our view of God.” Joseph Fielding Smith Jr.

THE BIBLE IS NOT THE UNIQUE AND FINAL WORD OF GOD: The Mormon Church

teaches that “the Bible has been corrupted, is missing many "plain and precious parts" and does

not contain the fullness of the Gospel.” Doctrines of Salvation, vol. 3, pp. 190 - 191).

"We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly. . ." (8th Article of

Faith of the Mormon Church).

“The book of Mormon is more correct than the Bible” (History of the Church, vol. 4, pg. 461.)

Mormonism teaches that the canon of Scripture was not closed when the Bible was completed.

They have three sources in addition to the Bible, all of which they believe contain God's

revelations -- the Book of Mormon (changed in more than 4,000 places since 1830), Doctrine and

Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price.

Mormonism teaches that if their belief contradicts Scripture, the Mormons say “that particular

part of Scripture is translated incorrectly, and that the correct translation is in one of the

Mormon scriptures” (The Maze of Mormonism, pg. 131). Thereby, the Bible is rejected as the

infallible Word of God. [e.g. "The Bible is considered usable, but suspect due to its many errors

and missing parts" (Articles of Faith No. 8, Ensign, January 1989, pp. 25, 27).

With these statements look what the Mormon church writes in their Statement of Faith to deceive

and mislead new converts in the Mormon Religion.

“The Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, to be the inspired Word of God, without error in

the original writings, the complete revelation of His will for the salvation of men and the Divine

and final authority for Christian faith and life.”

Book of Mormon — 1 Nephi 13:26-29 “And after they go forth by the hand of the twelve

apostles of the Lamb, from the Jews unto the Gentiles, thou seest the formation of that great and

abominable church, which is most abominable above all other churches; for behold, they have

taken away from the gospel of the Lamb many parts which are plain and most precious; and also

many covenants of the Lord have they taken away. 27 And all this have they done that they

might pervert the right ways of the Lord, that they might blind the eyes and harden the hearts of

the children of men. 28 Wherefore, thou seest that after the book hath gone forth through the

hands of the great and abominable church, that there are many plain and precious things taken

away from the book, which is the book of the Lamb of God. 29 And after these plain and

precious things were taken away it goeth forth unto all the nations of the Gentiles; and after it

goeth forth unto all the nations of the Gentiles, yea, even across the many waters which thou hast

seen with the Gentiles which have gone forth out of captivity, thou seest—because of the many

plain and precious things which have been taken out of the book, which were plain unto the

understanding of the children of men, according to the plainness which is in the Lamb of God—

because of these things which are taken away out of the gospel of the Lamb, an exceedingly great

many do stumble, yea, insomuch that Satan hath great power over them.”

Rebuttal: The Bible teaches and orthodox Christians through the ages have believed that the

Bible is the unique and the final and infallible Word of God.

Matt. 4:4 “But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by

every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” Jn. 17:17 “Sanctify them through thy

truth: thy word is truth.” Eph. 6:10-17 “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in

the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against

the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities,

against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in

high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand

in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with

truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of

the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all

the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which

is the word of God:” 2 Tim. 3:13 – 4:4 “But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse,

deceiving, and being deceived. But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast

been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; And that from a child thou hast

known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which

is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for

reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect,

throughly furnished unto all good works.” I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord

Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; Preach

the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and

doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own

lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their

ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” Heb. 1:1, 2 “God, who at sundry times

and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days

spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the

worlds.” 1 Pt. 1:23 - 25 “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the

word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of

man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: But the

word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto

you.” 2 Pt. 1:21 “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private

interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God

spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” And that it will stand forever. Ps. 119:89 “For

ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven. Ps. 119:105 “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet,

and a light unto my path.” Isaiah 40:8 “Then said Hezekiah to Isaiah, Good is the word of the

LORD which thou hast spoken. He said moreover, For there shall be peace and truth in my

days.”

God’s providential preservation of the text of the Bible was marvelously illustrated in the

discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

THE EARLY CHURCH FELL INTO TOTAL APOSTASY: The Mormon Church teaches

“there was a great and total apostasy of the Church as established by Jesus Christ; this state of

apostasy "still prevails except among those who have come to a knowledge of the restored

gospel" of the Mormon Church.” (Gospel Principles, pp. 105 - 106; Mormon Doctrine, pg. 44).

Rebuttal: The Bible teaches and orthodox Christians through the ages have believed that the

true Church was divinely established by Jesus and could never and will never disappear from the

earth except for when the rapture or the church (Body of Christ) occurs and is taken out for that 7

year tribulation period and then return to the earth after the end of the tribulation period.

Christians acknowledge that there have been times of corruption and apostasy within the Church,

but believe there has always been a remnant that held fast to the true biblical doctrines. I do

believe that Faith Baptist has held fast to true Biblical doctrines. 2Tim 4:3 “For the time will

come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to

themselves teachers, having itching ears;” Matt. 16:18 “And I say also unto thee, That thou art

Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against

it.” Jn. 15:16 “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should

go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the

Father in my name, he may give it you.” Jn. 17:11 “And now I am no more in the world, but

these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those

whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.” Jn. 4:20 – 24 “Our fathers

worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to

worship. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this

mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what: we know

what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true

worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to

worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in

truth.” Eph. 4:11 – 16 “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some,

evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the

ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of

the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the

fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about

with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in

wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the

head, even Christ: From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that

which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part,

maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.”

LESSON 5

The Mormon Doctrines and Teachings

PRE-EXISTENCE: “We were first begotten as spirit children in heaven and then born

naturally on earth”. (Journal of Discourse, vol. 4, pg. 218).

"Man was also in the beginning with God. Intelligence, or the light of truth, was not created or

made, neither indeed can be." (LDS D&C 93:21-23.)

(King Follett Discourse) By Joseph Smith. "[T]he soul—the mind of man—the immortal spirit.

Where did it come from? All learned men and doctors of divinity say that God created it in the

beginning; but it is not so: the very idea lessens man in my estimation.... We say that God

himself is a self-existent being.... Man does exist upon the same principles.... [The Bible] does

not say in the Hebrew that God created the spirit of man. It says 'God made man out of the earth

and put into him Adam's spirit, and so became a living body.' The mind or the intelligence which

man possesses is co-equal with God himself.... Is it logical to say that the intelligence of spirits is

immortal, and yet that it had a beginning? The intelligence of spirits had not beginning, neither

will it have an end. That is good logic. That which has a beginning may have an end. There

never was a time when there were not spirits; for they are co-equal [co-eternal] with our Father

in heaven."

“Jesus, however, is the firstborn among all the sons of God—the first begotten in the spirit, and

the only begotten in the flesh. He is our elder brother, and we, like Him, are in the image of God.

All men and women are in the similitude of the universal Father and Mother, and are literally

the sons and daughters of Deity." Mormon Doctrine.

This spiritual pre-existence, which the Mormon Hierarchy calls our first estate, until we

were ready for the next step in our eternal progression involves taking on bodies of flesh and

bone, by being born all over again, but this time to earthly parents. Then while on earth we

would be required to serve a period of probation. And through obedience to the laws and

ordinances of the LDS gospel, it would be possible for men to be exalted to godhood, in the same

way as our Heavenly Father had been before us. With this end in mind, a council was called in

heaven to work out the details of how all of this would be managed.

Rebuttal: In no way do any of the passages used by the Mormon Hierarchy indicate or even

hint at the prior existence of mankind. Here are some of the passages they use. Rev 12:7-9,

Rom. 8:14-17, 1 Pt. 1:20-21, Ecc. 12:7, Is. 44:28 and Job chapters 38, 39

The reason why Mormons misunderstand the book of Job and other parts of the Bible too,

is firstly because the LDS takes scriptures out of their context whenever it suits their purposes.

(This makes it difficult, if not impossible, to understand what the Bible is actually teaching.)

And secondly, Mormons have been instructed both to judge the accuracy of the Bible and to

interpret it, by fitting it in with their own scriptures and revelations.

oseph Smith invented, fanaticized and exaggerated the Scriptures and created this false

doctrine which is non- biblical.

Nowhere does the Bible teach that we had a pre-existence. And the following scriptures

actually disprove this false LDS doctrine: Nowhere does the Bible tell us that mankind pre-

existed, only that Christ pre-existed, as God.

Jn. 8:23 “And he [Jesus] said unto them, Ye are from beneath [the earth]; I am from above

[heaven]: ye are of this world; I am not of this world.”

1 Cor. 15:45 - 47 “And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last

Adam was made a quickening spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which

is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man [Adam] is of the earth, earthy: the

second man is the Lord from heaven.”

Zech. 12:1 “The burden of the word of the Lord for Israel, saith the Lord, which stretcheth forth

the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him.”

Gen. 1:26 - 28 “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them

have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over

all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in

his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God

blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and

subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every

living thing that moveth upon the earth.” Gen. 2:7 “And the LORD God formed man of the dust

of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”

Gen. 2:21 - 23 “And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam and he slept: and he

took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the LORD God

had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is

now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken

out of Man.”

JESUS AND SATAN ARE SPIRIT BROTHERS: The Mormon Church teaches that “Jesus

Christ is our elder brother who progressed to godhood, having first been procreated as a spirit

child by Heavenly Father and a heavenly mother; He was later conceived physically through

intercourse between Heavenly Father and the virgin Mary.” (D&C 93:21; Journal of Discourses,

1:50-51; Gospel Principles, pg. 11-13; Achieving a Celestial Marriage, pg. 129; Bruce R.

McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, pp. 546-547; 742; Ezra Taft Benson, Come unto Christ, pg. 4;

Robert L. Millet, The Mormon Faith: Understanding Restored Christianity, pg. 31).

Mormon doctrine affirms that “Jesus, all angels, Lucifer, all demons, and all human

beings are originally spirit brothers and sisters.” Abraham 3:22-27 “Now the Lord had shown

unto me, Abraham, the intelligences that were organized before the world was; and among all

these there were many of the noble and great ones; 23 And God saw these souls that they were

good, and he stood in the midst of them, and he said: These I will make my rulers; for he stood

among those that were spirits, and he saw that they were good; and he said unto me: Abraham,

thou art one of them; thou wast chosen before thou wast born. 24 And there stood one among

them that was like unto God, and he said unto those who were with him: We will go down, for

there is space there, and we will take of these materials, and we will make an earth whereon

these may dwell; 25 And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever

the Lord their God shall command them; 26 And they who keep their first estate shall be added

upon; and they who keep not their first estate shall not have glory in the same kingdom with

those who keep their first estate; and they who keep their second estate shall have glory added

upon their heads for ever and ever. 27 And the Lord said: Whom shall I send? And one

answered like unto the Son of Man: Here am I, send me. And another answered and said: Here

am I, send me. And the Lord said: I will send the first.”

Moses 4:1 - 2 “AND I, the Lord God, spake unto Moses, saying: That Satan, whom thou hast

commanded in the name of mine Only Begotten, is the same which was from the beginning, and

he came before me, saying—Behold, here am I, send me, I will be thy son, and I will redeem all

mankind, that one soul shall not be lost, and surely I will do it; wherefore give me thine honor.

But, behold, my Beloved Son, which was my Beloved and Chosen from the beginning, said unto

me—Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thine forever.” Gospel Principles, pp. 17-18;

Mormon Doctrine, pg. 192).

“The first spirit to be born in heaven was Jesus” (Mormon Doctrine, p. 129).

“The Devil was born as a spirit after Jesus "in the morning of pre-existence," (Mormon Doctrine,

p. 192).

Rebuttal: The Bible teaches and orthodox Christians through the ages have believed that Jesus

is the unique Son of God; he has always existed as God, and is co-eternal and co-equal with the

Father. Jn. 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was

God.” Jn. 1:14 “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory,

the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” Jn. 10:30 “I and my

Father are one.” Jn. 14:9 “Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast

thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then,

Shew us the Father?” Col. 2:9 “For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.”

While neverless than God, at the appointed time He laid aside the glory He shared with

the Father. Jn. 17:4, 5 “I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou

gavest me to do. And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I

had with thee before the world was.” Phil. 2:6 - 11 “Who, being in the form of God, thought it

not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the

form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he

humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God

also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the

name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under

the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the

Father.”

Christ was made flesh for our salvation; His incarnation was accomplished through being

conceived supernaturally by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin.” Matt. 1:18 - 23 “Now the

birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before

they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. Then Joseph her husband,

being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away

privily. But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in

a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that

which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt

call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. Now all this was done, that it

might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be

with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being

interpreted is, God with us.” Lk. 1:34, 35 “Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be,

seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall

come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy

thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.”

Heb. 1:1 - 14 “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the

fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath

appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his

glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power,

when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;

Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent

name than they. For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day

have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son? And

again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of

God worship him. And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a

flame of fire. But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of

righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity;

therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. And,

Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works

of thine hands: They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a

garment; And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the

same, and thy years shall not fail. But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right

hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool? Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to

minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?”

The Origin of Satan: Ezek. 28:12 - 17 “Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king

of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom,

and perfect in beauty. Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy

covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire,

the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was

prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth;

and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down

in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast

created, till iniquity was found in thee. By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the

midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the

mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.

Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy

brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.

Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy

traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will

bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee. All they that know

thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be

any more.”

Isa. 14:12 - 15 “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou

cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will

ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount

of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will

be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.”

GOD IS AN EXALTED MAN: GOD WAS ONCE A MAN LIKE US: Joseph Fielding

Smith Jr., Doctrines of Salvation, Vol.1, pg. 10 - pg.11. “Some people are troubled over the

statements of the Prophet Joseph Smith as found in the King Follett sermon delivered in Nauvoo

in 1844. 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, and to

some it appears to contradict other statements in the scriptures.” This statement does contradict

Scripture!

Joseph Smith explained, "I am going to tell you how God came to be God. We have

imagined and supposed that God was God from all eternity. I will refute that idea, and take away

the veil, so that you may see. He was once a man like us; yea, that God himself, the father of us

all, dwelt on an earth, the same as Jesus Christ Himself did" (LDS History of the Church, Vol. 6,

p. 305). "The Father has promised us that through our faithfulness we shall be blessed with the

fullness of his kingdom. In other words we will have the privilege of becoming like him. To

become like him we must have all the powers of godhood; thus a man and his wife when glorified

will have spirit children who eventually will go on an earth like this one we are on and pass

through the same kind of experiences, being subject to mortal conditions, and if faithful, then

they also will receive the fullness of exaltation and partake of the same blessings. There is no end

to this development; it will go on forever. We will become gods and have jurisdiction over the

world, and the world will be peopled by our own offspring. We will have an endless eternity for

this" (Doctrines of Salvation, Vol. 2, p. 48).

Mormons believe that God is one of many Gods and that every good Mormon man can become a

God himself. This belief is called the law of eternal progression and is best described in this

popular Mormon saying, "As man is, God once was, and as God is, man may become." Thus a

Mormon could say that "The recognition of God is the recognition of yourself."

“God used to be a man on another planet.” (Mormon Doctrine, pg. 321; Joseph Smith, Times

and Seasons, vol. 5, pg. 613 - 614; Orson Pratt, Journal of Discourses, vol. 2, pg. 345; Brigham

Young, Journal of Discourses, vol. 7, pg. 333).

"The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as mans..." (D&C 130:22).

"Therefore we know that both the Father and the Son are in form and stature perfect men; each

of them possesses a tangible body . . . of flesh and bones." (Articles of Faith, by James Talmage,

pg. 38).

“God had sexual relations with Mary to make the body of Jesus.” (Brigham Young, Journal of

Discourses, vol. 4, 1857, pg. 218; vol. 8, pg. 115). - This one is disputed among many Mormons

and not always 'officially' taught and believed. Nevertheless, Young, the 2nd prophet of the

Mormon church taught it.

“God the Father had a Father.” (Joseph Smith, History of the Church, vol. 6, pg. 476; Heber C.

Kimball, Journal of Discourses, vol. 5, pg. 19; Milton Hunter, First Council of the Seventy,

Gospel through the Ages, p. 104 - 105).

“God resides near a star called Kolob.” (Pearl of Great Price, pg. 34 - 35; Mormon Doctrine, p.

428).

"God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man, and sits enthroned in yonder

heavens!!! . . . We have imagined that God was God from all eternity. I will refute that idea and

take away the veil, so that you may see," (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 345).

“God is in the form of a man.” (Joseph Smith, Journal of Discourses, vol. 6, pg. 3).

The Mormon Church teaches that “God the Father was once a man like us who

progressed to become a God and has a body of flesh and bone.” (Doctrine and Covenants

130:22; "God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man, and sits enthroned in

yonder heavens!" Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pp. 345-347; Gospel Principles, pg. 9;

Articles of Faith, p. 430; Mormon Doctrine, pg. 321). Indeed, the Mormon Church teaches that

“God himself has a father, and a grandfather, ad infinitum.” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph

Smith, pg. 373; Mormon Doctrine, pg. 577)

Rebuttal: The Bible teaches and orthodox Christians through the ages have believed that God is

Spirit. Jn. 4:24 “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in

truth.” 1 Tim. 6:15,16 “Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate,

the King of kings, and Lord of lords; Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no

man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power

everlasting. Amen.”

God is not a man. Num. 23:19 “God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of

man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he

not make it good?” Hosea 11:9 “I will not execute the fierceness of mine anger, I will not

return to destroy Ephraim: for I am God, and not man; the Holy One in the midst of thee: and I

will not enter into the city.” Rom. 1:22, 23 “Professing themselves to be wise, they became

fools,

And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and

to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.”

God has always eternally existed and is — all powerful, all knowing, and everywhere

present. He is above, beyond and greater than anything seen or unseen. Ps. 90:2 “Before the

mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from

everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.” Ps.139:7-10 “ Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or

whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my

bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost

parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.” Is. 40:28

“Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of

the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.”

Isa. 41:4 “Who hath wrought and done it, calling the generations from the beginning? I the

LORD, the first, and with the last; I am he.”

The Birth of Christ came about the way the Word of God said it would be: Lk.1:26 – 37

“And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named

Nazareth, To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the

virgin's name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly

favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. And when she saw him, she

was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. And

the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou

shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be

great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the

throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his

kingdom there shall be no end. Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know

not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee,

and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall

be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also

conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. For

with God nothing shall be impossible.”

LESSON 6

The Mormon Doctrines and Teachings

The Mormon statement of faith again deceives and misleads new converts.

“That there is but one true God in all existence, in all places, and in all time, who is the Creator

of all things, infinitely perfect and eternally existing in three persons. God is a Trinity: Father,

Son, and Holy Spirit.”

THERE IS MORE THAN ONE TRUE GOD: The Mormon Church teaches that there are

many Gods. Book of Abraham 4:3 “And they (the Gods) said: Let there be light; and there was

light.” And that we can become gods and goddesses in the celestial kingdom (Doctrine and

Covenants 132:19 - 20; Gospel Principles, p. 245; Achieving a Celestial Marriage, p. 130). It

also teaches that those who achieve godhood will have spirit children who will worship and pray

to them, just as we worship and pray to God the Father (Gospel Principles, p. 302).

Rebuttal: The Bible teaches and orthodox Christians through the ages have believed that there

is only one True and Living God and apart from Him there are no other Gods. Deut. 6:4 “ Hear,

O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:” Isa. 41:4 “Who hath wrought and done it, calling

the generations from the beginning? I the LORD, the first, and with the last; I am he.” Isa.

43:10, 11 “Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye

may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed,

neither shall there be after me. I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour.” Isa.

44:6, 8 “Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the

first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God. Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I

told thee from that time, and have declared it? ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside

me? yea, there is no God; I know not any.” Isa. 45:21, 22 “ Tell ye, and bring them near; yea,

let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time? who hath told it from

that time? have not I the LORD? and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour;

there is none beside me. Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God,

and there is none else.” Isa. 46:9 “Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there

is none else; I am God, and there is none like me,” Mk. 12:29 - 34 “And Jesus answered him,

The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou

shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and

with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou

shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. And

the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is

none other but he: And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with

all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all

whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said

unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any

question.” 1Cor. 8:6 “But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and

we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.”

ALL EXALTED MEN BECOME GODS: Joseph Fielding Smith Jr., Doctrines of Salvation,

Vol.1, pg. 97 - p.98, “To believe that Adam is a god should not be strange to any person who

accepts the Bible. When Jesus was accused of blasphemy because he claimed to be the Son of

God, he answered the Jews: "Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods? If he called them

gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken; Say ye of him,

whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I

am the Son of God?”

“After you become a good Mormon, you have the potential of becoming a god.” (Teachings of

the Prophet Joseph Smith, pg. 345-347, 354).

“And again, verily I say unto you, if a man marry a wife by my word, which is my law, and by the

new and everlasting covenant, ...Ye shall come forth in the first resurrection; ...and shall inherit

thrones, kingdoms, principalities, and powers, dominions, ...and they shall pass by the angels,

and the gods, which are set there, to their exaltation and glory in all things, as hath been sealed

upon their heads, which glory shall be a fulness and a continuation of the seeds forever and

ever."Then shall they be gods, because they have no end; therefore shall they be from everlasting

to everlasting, because they continue; then shall they be above all, because all things are subject

unto them. Then shall they be gods, because they have all power, and the angels are subject unto

them," Verily, verily, I say unto you, except ye abide my law ye cannot attain to this glory. For

strait is the gate, and narrow the way that leadeth unto the exaltation and continuation of the

lives, and few there be that find it, because ye receive me not in the world neither do ye know

me.” (Doctrine of Covenants 132:20 - 22).

Rebuttal: Does the Bible Teach Multiple Gods, Eternal Marriage, and endless children? NO!

Mk. 12:25 “For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in

marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven.”

There is only one God, who has eternally existed:

Deut. 4:35 “Unto thee it was shewed, that thou mightest know that the LORD he is God; there is

none else beside him.” Isa. 41:4 “Who hath wrought and done it, calling the generations from

the beginning? I the LORD, the first, and with the last; I am he.” Isa. 43:10 - 11 "I am he:

before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. I, even I, and the LORD;

and beside me there is no saviour." Isa. 44:6 "Thus saith the LORD...I am the first, and I am the

last; and beside me there is no God." Isa. 45:22 “and there is no God else beside me; a just God

and a Saviour; there is none beside me....I am God, and there is none else." Isa 42:8 "I am the

LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven

images."

The Bible never equates Eternal Life with marriage and parenthood. It is promised to ALL who

have come to Christ for salvation.

I Jn 5:12 "He that hath the Son hath life, and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life."

Lk. 20: 35 - 36 "But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the

resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage: Neither can they die any

more; for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the

resurrection."

We are not children of God by procreation but by spiritual adoption.

Jn. 1:12 "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even

to them that believe on his name." Gal. 3:26 "For ye are all the children of God by faith in

Christ Jesus." Rom. 5:14 “Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them

that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was

to come.”

Ps. 82:6 - 7 “I have said, Ye are gods; (gods is used to reveal that we have in some instances we

have authority of rule over others.) and all of you are children of the most High. But ye shall die

like men, and fall like one of the princes.” People thought of judges in Israel as gods since they

spoke for God.

I hope that you will see that God Almighty was not formed from other Gods, and that

there were no other Gods before Him. Our God is uncreated! And although we may be “gods”

in the sense that we have been given some authority, we are but mere men and will fall like every

other ruler, and we need to come to the one and only TRUE God the Lord Jesus Christ, the

UNCREATED GOD and ask to be your Lord and Savior and accept His perfect sacrifice on the

cross for the atonement for your sins and believe that God has raised Him from the dead.

GOD CREATED MANY EARTHS: Joseph Fielding Smith Jr., Doctrines of Salvation, Vol.1,

pg.139. “The Lord has given us the information regarding his creations, and how he has made

many earths, for there never was a beginning, never was a time when man did not exist

somewhere in the universe, and when the time came for this earth to be peopled, the Lord, our

God, transplanted upon it from some other earth, the life which is found here.”

Rebuttal: There is only one earth past, present, and future.

Gen. 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Matt. 24:35 "Heaven and

earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away." Rev. 21:1 “And I saw a new

heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was

no more sea.” Isa. 45:18 “For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that

formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be

inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else.” Rev. 10:6 “And sware by him that liveth

for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the

things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time

no longer:” Isa. 45:12 “I have made the earth, and created man upon it: I, even my hands, have

stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded.”

LESSON 7

The Mormon Doctrines and Teachings

ONLY EXALTED BEINGS GAIN FULLNESS OF FATHER: Joseph Fielding Smith Jr.,

Doctrines of Salvation, Vol.2, pg.44. “No man can obtain that exaltation without receiving the

covenants that belong to the priesthood. No woman can obtain this great honor and glory

without receiving the blessings of faith, repentance and baptism, confirmation, and obedience to

the covenants that are promised her and her husband in the temple of the Lord. Otherwise, there

would be no progress, that is, to the fullness.”

Rebuttal: The fullness of God is achieved only by sincerely asking Jesus into your heart and

life. Jn. 1:12 - 13 “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of

God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the

flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” Jn. 1:16 “And of his fulness have all we received, and

grace for grace.” 1Jn. 3:1, 2 “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us,

that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew

him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but

we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.” Rom.

8:14 “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.”

Matthew Henry on the fullness of God: Jn. 1:15 - 18“As to the order of time and

entrance on his work, Christ came after John, but in every other way he was before him. The

expression clearly shows that Jesus had existence before he appeared on earth as man. All

fulness dwells in him, from which alone fallen sinners have, and shall receive, by faith, all that

renders them wise, strong, holy, useful, and happy. Our receivings by Christ are all summed up

in this one word, grace; we have received even grace, a gift so great, so rich, so invaluable; the

good will of God towards us, and the good work of God in us. The law of God is holy, just, and

good; and we should make the proper use of it. But we cannot derive from it pardon,

righteousness, or strength. It teaches us to adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour, but it cannot

supply the place of that doctrine. As no mercy comes from God to sinners but through Jesus

Christ, no man can come to the Father but by him; no man can know God, except as he is made

known in the only begotten and beloved Son.”

Eph 1:5 “Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself,

according to the good pleasure of his will,” Eph. 3:19 “And to know the love of Christ, which

passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.” Eph. 4:13 “Till we all

come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto

the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:” Rom. 8:15 “For ye have not received the

spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry,

Abba, Father.” Rom 8:30 “Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and

whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.” 1Cor.

1:30 “But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness,

and sanctification, and redemption:”

Paul in Ephesians, Romans and 1Cor. is talking to Christians, the Body of Christ the Church the

assembly of the called out ones. So we are partakers of the promises and privileges of Christ.

WE CAN MAKE OURSELVES WORTHY BEFORE GOD: The Mormon Church teaches

that eternal life in the presence of God (which it terms "exaltation in the celestial kingdom")

must be earned through obedience to all the commands of the Mormon Church, including

exclusive Mormon temple rituals. Works are a requirement for salvation (entrance into the

"celestial kingdom") — Gospel Principles, pg. 303-304; Pearl of Great Price — Third Article of

Faith; Mormon Doctrine, pp. 339, 671; Book of Mormon — 2 Nephi 25:23).

Rebuttal: The Bible teaches and orthodox Christians through the ages have believed that apart

from the saving work of Jesus Christ on the cross we are spiritually "dead in trespasses and sins."

Eph. 2:1, 5 “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Even when we

were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;”

We are powerless to save ourselves. By grace alone, apart from self-righteous works,

God forgives our sins and makes us worthy to live in His presence. Eph. 2:8 - 9 “For by grace

are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest

any man should boast.” Titus 3:5 - 6 “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but

according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy

Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;” Rom. 3:19 – 28

“ Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law:

that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by

the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge

of sin. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the

law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all

and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: For all have sinned, and come short of

the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ

Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his

righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare,

I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which

believeth in Jesus. Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but

by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of

the law.”

Our part is only to cling to Christ in heartfelt faith. (However, it is certainly true that

without the evidence of changed conduct, a person’s testimony of faith in Christ must be

questioned; salvation by grace alone through faith, does not mean we can live as we please.

Rom. 6:1 - 13 “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God

forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Know ye not, that so many of

us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried

with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of

the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together

in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: Knowing this,

that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth

we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin. Now if we be dead with Christ, we

believe that we shall also live with him: Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth

no more; death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but

in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto

sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal

body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of

unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead,

and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.”

GOD IS NOT A TRINITY: The Mormon Church teaches that “the Father, Son, and Holy

Ghost are three separate Gods” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pg. 370; Mormon

Doctrine, pp. 576 - 577), and that “the Son and Holy Ghost are the literal offspring of Heavenly

Father and a celestial wife” (Joseph Fielding McConkie, Encyclopedia of Mormonism, vol. 2,

pg. 649). They teach that the trinity is three separate Gods: The Father, the Son, and the Holy

Ghost. "That these three are separate individuals, physically distinct from each other, is

demonstrated by the accepted records of divine dealings with man," (Articles of Faith, by James

Talmage, pg. 35).

The Mormon Hierarchy Statement of Faith: “That the Lord and God possess an

exhaustive foreknowledge of all things potential as well as actual and that there is nothing God

does not know.” “That there is but one true God in all existence, in all places, and in all time,

who is the Creator of all things, infinitely perfect and eternally existing in three persons. God is

a Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.”

Rebuttal: The Bible teaches and orthodox Christians through the ages have believed that Father,

Son, and Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost are not separate Gods or separate beings, but are distinct

Persons within the one Triune Godhead. The Trinity is based on biblical revelation, and faith,

not human logic. Why? Our human logic cannot conceive, comprehend, or understand the

things of God. His ways are not our ways; His ways are above our ways. Jesus said this in

Matt. 11:27 “All things are delivered unto me of the Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but

the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son

reveal him.” Faith is the vector for believing God at His Word and not our own reasoning. Let

God be true and every man a liar. The word “trinity” is a term that is not found in the Bible but

a word used to describe what is apparent about God in the Scriptures. The Bible clearly speaks

of God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ), and God the Holy Spirit…and also clearly

presents that there is only one God. Thus the term: “tri” meaning three, and “unity” meaning

one, Tri + Unity = Trinity. It is a way of acknowledging what the Bible reveals to us about God,

that God is yet three “Persons” who have the same essence of deity. Deut. 6:4 “Hear, O Israel:

The LORD our God is one LORD:” Is. 45:5 “I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no

God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me: 1Cor. 8:4 “As concerning

therefore the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols, we know that an idol

is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one.” Matt. 3:16, 17 “And Jesus,

when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened

unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a

voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Matt. 28:19

“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son,

and of the Holy Ghost: Jn. 10:30 “I and my Father are one.” Jn. 14:9 “Jesus saith unto him,

Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me

hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?” 1 Jn. 5:20 “And we know

that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is

true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and

eternal life.” Jn. 17:5 “And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory

which I had with thee before the world was.” Jn. 8:56 - 59 “Your father Abraham rejoiced to

see my day: and he saw it, and was glad. Then said the Jews unto Jesus, Thou art not yet fifty

years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you,

Before Abraham was, I AM.” Col. 1:16 “For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven,

and that are in the earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or

principalities, or powers, all things were created by Him, and for him.” Jesus Christ is the

Creator. Col. 1:16 “For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in the

earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers,

all things were created by Him, and for him.” Gen. 1:1 “In the beginning God created the

heaven and the earth.” He is Omnipresent (everywhere). Matt. 18:20 “For where two or

three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” Matt. 28:20 “Teaching them

to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even

unto the end of the world.” Christ is Omniscient (all knowing). He knew all things. Matt.

12:25 “And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them.” Jesus even prophesied future

events. Matt. 16:25 “From that time forth began Jesus to show unto his disciples, how that he

must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders, and chief priests and scribes, and

be killed, and be raised again the third day.” Matt. 17:22 “And while they abode in Galilee,

Jesus said unto them, the Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men: and they shall kill

him, and the third day he shall be raised again.” Jesus is Omnipotent (all-powerful). Rev.

1:17, 18 “And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me,

saying unto me. Fear not, I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead, and,

behold, I am alive forever more. Amen, and have the keys of hell and death.” Rev. 19:6 “And I

heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice

of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.” Phil. 3:20, 21

“For our conversation is in heaven: from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus

Christ. Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body,

according for the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.” Jesus

Christ is Righteous. 1 Jn 2:1 “My little children, these things write I unto you, that you sin

not. And if any man sin we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” 2

Cor. 5:21 “For he (God) hath made him (Jesus Christ) to be sin for us, who knew no sin.” All

mankind is unrighteous. Rom. 3:23 “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”

He is Sovereign (one who holds all power and authority). Acts 10:36 “The word, which God

sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: he is Lord of all.” Christ is

Eternal. Jn. 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was

God.” Jesus Christ is Judge. 2 Tim. 4:1 “I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord

Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom.” Christ

the Lord Saves. Is Jesus Christ the Savior? The answer is yes and He is the Savior, and He is

God. Is. 43:11 “I, even I, am the Lord; and beside me there is no Savior.” Titus 3:4, 6 “But

after that the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared.” Which he shed on us

abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior.” 1 Tim. 1:15 “This is a faithful saying, and worthy

of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” Phil. 2:10 - 11 “That

at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things

under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of

God the Father.”

b. Paul in his Epistles, referred to Jesus as Lord: 1 Cor. 12:3 “Wherefore I give you to

understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man

can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.” Rom. 10: 9 “That if thou shalt confess

with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God has raised him from the

dead, thou shalt be saved.” Heb. 1:8 - 9 “But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is

forever and ever: a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of thy kingdom. Thou hast loved

righteousness, and hated iniquity, therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of

gladness above thy fellows.” c. Peter referred to Jesus as Lord: 2 Pt. 3:18 “But grow in

grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and

forever Amen.” d. Thomas and the disciples proclaimed Jesus as Lord: Jn. 20:28 “And

Thomas answered and said unto Him, My Lord and my God.” Jn. 20:25 “The other disciples

therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord.” e. Jesus Christ was with the Father in the

beginning because Jesus Christ is the Only Begotten Son of God: John 17:5 “And now, O

Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world

was.” Lk. 2:11 “An angel appeared to the shepherds in the field and said unto them.” For unto

you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.” Jn. 8:56 - 59 “Your

father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad. Then said the Jews unto

Jesus, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? Jesus said unto them,

Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I AM. Then took they up stones to cast at

him.”

The Holy Ghost is found in the Bible seven times, Holy Spirit ninety one times, Spirit of God

twenty six times, and Spirit of Christ two times. That gives us one hundred twenty six times that

God mentions His Spirit.

Gen. 1:2 “And the spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” Gen. 1:26 “And God

said, let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” Gen. 3:22 “And the Lord God said,

behold, the man is become as one of us.” The words our and us are personal pronouns and

mean more than one.

I believe that the Holy Spirit is a divine Person possessing all the attributes of deity and is

equal with God the Father and God the Son. I believe that He was active in creation and is the

restrainer of the evil One. He convicts of sin, of judgment, and of righteousness. He bears

witness to the truth of the Gospel in preaching and testimony. He is the agent in the new birth;

that He seals, endues, guides, teaches, witnesses, sanctifies, helps, and distributes spiritual gifts

to all believers; that the Apostolic gifts, such as tongues and healing, were unique to the first

century and ceased as the New Testament Scriptures were completed. The Holy Spirit the

Creator. Job 33:4 “The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given

me life.” Gen. 1:2 “And the spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” Job 26:13a “By

his spirit he hath garnished the heavens.” The Holy Spirit Inspired Scripture. 2Tim. 3:16 -

17 “All scripture is given by the inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof,

for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly

furnished unto all good works.” 2Pt. 1:19 - 21 “We have also a more sure word of prophecy;

whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the

day dawn, and the day star arise in you hears: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the

scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of

man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” The Holy Spirit is

Omnipresent (everywhere). Ps. 139:7 “Whither shall I go from thy spirit? Or whither shall I

flee from thy presence?” The Holy Spirit is Omniscient (all knowing). 1Cor. 2:10 “But God

hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit; for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things

of God.” The Holy Spirit is Omnipotent (all-powerful). Lk. 1:35 - 37 “And the angel

answered and said onto her, the Holy Ghost shall come unto thee, and the power of the Highest

shall over-shadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called

the Son of God. And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age:

and this it the sixth month with her, who was called barren. For with God nothing shall be

impossible.” The Holy Spirit Indwells in the Believer. 1 Jn. 14:17 “Even the Spirit of truth;

whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know

him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.” Jn. 4:13 “Hereby know we that we dwell in

him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.” Keep in mind that he Holy Ghost is

referred to as He, and Him and these are personal pronouns. 1 Cor. 3:16 “Know ye not that ye

are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” 2 Cor. 6:16 “And what

agreement hath the temple of God with idols? For ye are the temple of the living God; as God

hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my

people.” Rom. 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. The Holy Spirit is

God. Acts 5:3, 4 “But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy

Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? Whiles it remained, was it not thine

own? And after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? Why hast thou conceived this thing

in thine heart? Thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.” Acts 1:8 “But ye shall receive

power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in

Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” 2 Cor.

3:17 “Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” The

Holy Spirit Teaches the Believer. Jn. 14:26 “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost,

whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your

remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." The Holy Spirit gives Eternal life. Titus 3:4

- 6 “But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works

of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of

regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus

Christ our Saviour.” The Holy Spirit Seals the Believer. 2 Cor. 1:22 “Who hath also sealed

us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.” Eph. 1:13 “In whom ye also trusted, after

that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed,

ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise.” Eph. 4:30 “And grieve not the holy Spirit of

God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.”

LESSON 8

The Mormon Doctrines and Teachings

THE SIN OF ADAM AND EVE WAS A GREAT EVIL OR A GREAT BLESSING:

By contrast, the Mormon Church teaches that Adam’s sin was "a necessary step in the

plan of life and a great blessing to all of us" (Book of Mormon — 2 Nephi 2:25 “Adam fell that

men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.” Gospel Principles, p. 33; Doctrines of

Salvation, vol. 1, pp. 114-115).

Rebuttal: The Bible teaches and orthodox Christians through the ages have believed that the

disobedience of our first parents Adam and Eve was a great evil. Through their fall sin entered

the world, bringing all human beings under condemnation and death. Thus we are born with a

sinful nature, and will be judged for the sins we commit as individuals. Rom. 3:9 – 18 “What

then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and

Gentiles, that they are all under sin; As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There

is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the

way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their

throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under

their lips: Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: Their feet are swift to shed blood:

Destruction and misery are in their ways: And the way of peace have they not known: There is

no fear of God before their eyes.” Rom. 3:23 “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory

of God;” Ecc. 7:20 “For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.”

Ezek. 18:1 - 4 “The word of the LORD came unto me again, saying, What mean ye, that ye use

this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the

children's teeth are set on edge? As I live, saith the Lord GOD, ye shall not have occasion any

more to use this proverb in Israel. Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also

the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.” Rom. 5:12 - 21 “Wherefore, as by

one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that

all have sinned: (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no

law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after

the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come. But not as the

offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the

grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto

many. And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to

condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification. For if by one man's offence

death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of

righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) Therefore as by the offence of one

judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift

came upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one man's disobedience many were made

sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. Moreover the law entered,

that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: That as

sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by

Jesus Christ our Lord.”

CHRIST ATONING BENEFITS FOR THOSE WHO REJECT HIM: The Mormon

Hierarchy Statement of Faith: “That the shed blood of Jesus Christ and His resurrection provide

the only grounds for justification and salvation for all people. This justification and salvation is

obtained by grace through faith alone for all who believe, and only such as receive Jesus Christ,

by faith, are born of the Holy Spirit and, thus become children of God.”

By contrast, the Mormon Church teaches that “the purpose of the atonement was to bring

resurrection and immortality to all people, regardless of whether they receive Christ by faith.

Christ’s atonement is only a partial basis for worthiness and eternal life, which also requires

obedience to all the commands of the Mormon church, including exclusive Mormon temple

rituals.” (Gospel Principles, pp. 74-75; Mormon Doctrine, p. 669). "Jesus paid for all our sins

when He suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane," (Laurel Rohlfing, “Sharing Time: The

Atonement,” Friend, Mar. 1989, p. 39.).

Rebuttal: The Bible teaches and orthodox Christians through the ages have believed that the

purpose of the atoning work of Christ on the cross was to provide the complete solution for

humankind’s sin problem. However, those who reject God’s grace in this life will have no part in

this salvation but are under the judgment of God for eternity. Jn. 3:14 - 18 “And as Moses lifted

up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever

believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he

gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have

everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the

world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that

believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only

begotten Son of God.” Jn. 3:36 “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that

believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” Jn. 5:24 “Verily,

verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath

everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.” Jn.

8:24 “I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he,

ye shall die in your sins.” Heb. 9:27 “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this

the judgment:” 1 Jn. 5:11 - 12 “If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater:

for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son. He that believeth on the Son of

God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he

believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. And this is the record, that God hath given to

us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the

Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the

Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of

the Son of God.” Rom. 3:20 - 28 “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be

justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God

without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the

righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for

there is no difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified

freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to

be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins

that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness:

that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. Where is boasting then?

It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a

man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.”

THERE IS A MOTHER GODDESS: There is a mother god (Articles of Faith, by James

Talmage, p. 443). God is married to his goddess wife and has spirit children (Mormon Doctrine,

p. 516). There is absolutely no evidence in the Word of God of such a teaching that God is

married to a mother goddess and had spirit children..

THE HOLY GHOST: The Holy Ghost is a male personage (A Marvelous Work and a Wonder,

Le Grand Richards, Salt Lake City, 1956, p. 118; Journal of Discources, vol. 5, p. 179).

The Mormon Hierarchy Statement of Faith: “That the Holy Spirit, like the Father and the Son,

has a will, can grieve, love, hate, and is worthy of all worship and honor. That the ministry of

the Holy Spirit is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ and to convict men, regenerate the sinner,

indwell, guide, instruct and empower the believer for godly living and service.”

In Mormonism, a distinction is drawn between the Holy Ghost and the Holy Spirit. As

LDS Apostle Marion G. Romney stated: "The Holy Ghost is a person, a spirit, the third member

of the Godhead" (Ensign, May 1977, pp. 43-44). The sixth LDS prophet, Joseph F. Smith,

explains that the Holy Spirit is not a person but rather an impersonal force: "You may call it the

Spirit of God, you may call it the influence of God's intelligence, you may call it the substance of

his power; no matter what it is called, it is the spirit of intelligence that permeates the universe"

(Mormon Doctrine, McConkie, pp. 752-753).

Rebuttal: Jn. 4:24 “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and

in truth.” Jn. 14:17 “Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth

him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.”

Jn. 15:26 “But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even

the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:” Jn. 16:13

“Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not

speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things

to come.” Rom. 8:1 – 27 “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ

Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ

Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it

was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin,

condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk

not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the

flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is

death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against

God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the

flesh cannot please God. 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. And if Christ

be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 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. Therefore,

brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye

shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many

as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of

bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba,

Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if

children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him,

that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are

not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest

expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature

was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in

hope, Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the

glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and

travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the

firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit,

the redemption of our body. For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for

what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with

patience wait for it. Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we

should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings

which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit,

because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.” 1Cor. 3:16 “Know

ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” 1Cor. 6:11

“And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the

name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.”

LESSON 9

The Mormon Doctrines and Teachings

HEAVEN: There are three levels of heaven: Telestial, terrestrial, and celestial (Mormon

Doctrine, p. 348). Mormonism teaches that there are three degrees of glory: Celestial (for good

Mormons able to cease sinning in this lifetime, Terrestrial (for good people who do not comply

with all the teachings of Mormonism), and Telestial (for those who have lived unclean earthly

lives). (See also Mormon Doctrines, p. 348.) Mormonism teaches that there is a hell, but only

for the "sons of perdition," a very small number of souls that cannot be redeemed. According to

Mormonism, then, the vast majority of mankind will be "saved," though it should be obvious that

no one will make it to the Celestial Kingdom. [Blacks used to be totally out of the equation:

"Black people are black because of their misdeeds in the pre-existence" (Three Degrees of Glory,

LDS Apostle Melvin J. Ballard, p. 21); "The Negro is an unfortunate man. He has been given a

black skin. But that is nothing compared with that greater handicap. He is not permitted to

receive the priesthood and the ordinances of the temple, necessary to prepare men and women to

enter into and enjoy a fullness of glory in the Celestial Kingdom" (Elder George E. Richards). In

1978, however, the Mormon Church announced that God had lifted his curse from the African

race.]

Rebuttal: The Bible speaks of three different heavens. The first heaven is the atmosphere

around the earth. Gen. 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” Gen. 1:6

- 8 “And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the

waters from the waters. And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under

the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. And God called

the firmament Heaven.” In describing the rain that brought on the Flood of Noah’s time, Gen.

7:11 “In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the

month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of

heaven were opened.” Gen. 7:19 “And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all

the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered.”

The second heaven is commonly referred to as "outer space." Gen. 1:14 - 18 “And God

said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let

them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: And let them be for lights in the

firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. And God made two great

lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars

also. And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, And to rule

over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it

was good.” Ex. 32:13 “Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou

swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven,

and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for

ever.” The stars are not in the skies from which the rain falls, but in the space beyond our

atmosphere. Neh. 9:6 also refers to space as heaven: “Thou, even thou, art LORD alone; thou

hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host,(the planets and stars) the earth, and

all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and thou preservest them all; and the

host of heaven worshippeth thee.”

A "third heaven" is mentioned in 2 Cor. 12:1 - 4 “It is not expedient for me doubtless to

glory. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord. I knew a man in Christ above fourteen

years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God

knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven. And I knew such a man, (whether in the

body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) How that he was caught up into paradise,

and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.” Paul also called heaven

"Paradise" in verse 4. That word is from the Greek word for park or garden—not just any park

or garden, but a magnificent one. It’s the same word used in the standard Greek translation of

the Old Testament, the Septuagint, to mean the Garden of Eden. Rev. 4:2 “And immediately I

was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.” This

reveals that God’s throne is in heaven, but which one? Obviously, God’s throne is not in the sky

where the clouds are and the birds fly—the first heaven. Nor is it in the visible confines of outer

space—the second heaven. Putting this reference together with what Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians,

we discern that the third heaven, then, must refer to the location of the throne of God.

Jn. 3:3 - 7 “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be

born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be

born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? Jesus

answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he

cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is

born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.”

JESUS: "Therefore we know that both the Father and the Son are in form and stature perfect

men; each of them possesses a tangible body . . . of flesh and bones," (Articles of Faith, by James

Talmage, p. 38).

The Mormon Hierarchy Statement of Faith: “That Jesus Christ is presently true God and

true man, having been conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He died on the

cross, a sacrifice for our sins according to the Scriptures. Further, He arose bodily from the

dead, ascended into heaven, where, at the right hand of the Majesty on High, He is now our High

Priest and Advocate.”

"The birth of the Saviour was as natural as are the births of our children; it was the result of

natural action. He partook of flesh and blood - was begotten of his Father, as we were of our

fathers," (Journal of Discourses, vol. 8, p. 115). Lk. 1:26 - 35 “And in the sixth month the angel

Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, To a virgin espoused to a

man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And the

angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee:

blessed art thou among women. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast

in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said unto her, Fear not,

Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and

bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son

of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he

shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. Then said

Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and

said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall

overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the

Son of God.”

"Elohim is literally the Father of the spirit of Jesus Christ and also of the body in which Jesus

Christ performed His mission in the flesh ..." (First Presidency and Council of the Twelve, 1916,

God the Father, compiled by Gordon Allred, p. 150).

Rebuttal: Jn. 4:24 “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and

in truth.” 1 Tim. 6:15, 16 “Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only

Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light

which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and

power everlasting. Amen.”

God is not a man. Num. 23:19 “God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of

man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he

not make it good?” Hosea 11:9 “I will not execute the fierceness of mine anger, I will not

return to destroy Ephraim: for I am God, and not man; the Holy One in the midst of thee: and I

will not enter into the city.” Rom. 1:22, 23 “Professing themselves to be wise, they became

fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible

man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.” Jn. 1:1 – 3 “In the beginning

was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the

beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that

was made.” Col. 1:15 – 19 “Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every

creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible

and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things

were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. And

he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in

all things he might have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in him should all

fulness dwell;” Phil. 2:6 – 11 “Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be

equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant,

and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself,

and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly

exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every

knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that

every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Heb. 1:1

– 14 “ God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the

prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all

things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express

image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself

purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; Being made so much better

than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. For unto

which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And

again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son? And again, when he bringeth in

the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him. And of the

angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire. But unto the

Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of

thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God,

hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning

hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: They shall

perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; And as a vesture shalt

thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail.

But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies

thy footstool? Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be

heirs of salvation?” Isa. 9:6 “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, Counseller, The

mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” Rev. 1:5 – 8 “And from Jesus

Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings

of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, And hath

made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and

ever. Amen. Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which

pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. I am Alpha

and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is

to come, the Almighty.” Rev. 19:11 – 16 “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse;

and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and

make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a

name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in

blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed

him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a

sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron:

and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his

vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”

JOSEPH FEILDING SMITH JR: “If it had not been for Joseph Smith and the restoration,

there would be no salvation.” “There is no salvation [the context is the full gospel including

exaltation to Godhood] outside the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.” (Mormon

Doctrine, p. 670). The same statement is made by the Roman Catholic Hierarchy that you

cannot be saved outside the Roman Catholic Church.

Rebuttal: Acts 4:12 “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name

under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” 1Thess. 5:9 “For God hath not

appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,” 2Tim. 3:15 “And that

from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto

salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.” Jn. 3:16 - 18 “For God so loved the world,

that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have

everlasting life.

For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him

might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is

condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

Jn. 3:36 “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son

shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” Jn. 8:24 “I said therefore unto you,

that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.”

LESSON 10

The Mormon Doctrines and Teachings

BAPTIZING DEAD PEOPLE FOR SALVATION: In September of 1842 Joseph

Smith received a revelation commanding that the living be baptized, by proxy, for the dead.

This occurred by visitation of an angel to Joseph Smith in 1823 and in 1836, and are found in the

teaching of Joseph Smith in Doctrine and Covenants 128:18.

The revelation declares, “And now, my dearly beloved brethren and sisters, let me assure you

that these are principles in relation to the dead and the living that cannot be lightly passed over,

as pertaining to our salvation.”

“For their salvation is necessary and essential to our salvation, as Paul says concerning the

fathers - that they without us cannot be made perfect - neither can we without our dead be made

perfect.”

Joseph Smith quoted 1 Cor.15:29 and interpreted it as “If there is one word of the Lord that

supports the doctrine of baptism for the dead, it is enough to establish it as true doctrine”

(History of the Church vol.4 p.569 1978)

The Mormon Hierarchy Statement of Faith: “That the shed blood of Jesus Christ and His

resurrection provide the only grounds for justification and salvation for all people. This

justification and salvation is obtained by grace through faith alone for all who believe, and only

such as receive Jesus Christ, by faith, are born of the Holy Spirit and, thus become children of

God.”

“It is the baptism for the dead. For we without them cannot be made perfect; neither can they

without us be made perfect” (referring to 1 Cor.15 11 - 19).

Here is what the verses say. “Therefore whether it were I or they, so we preach, and so ye

believed. Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that

there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ

not risen: And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. Yea,

and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up

Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. For if the dead rise not, then is

not Christ raised: And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then

they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ,

we are of all men most miserable.”

Rebuttal: G. R. Beasley-Murray, regards the verse as an ad hominem argument against an

importation from possibly mystery religions or other Hellenistic religions. The Corinthians were

following this practice of Greek non-Christian religion and Paul refers to it to show the

inconsistency of their practicing such by denying the resurrection. He thus demonstrated their

inconsistency without arguing with their practice. This is the majority consensus of the biblical

scholars.

Biblically all who are buried with Christ in Baptism declare by that act that they believe

that he was buried and rose again: and in believing that he rose, we at the same time believe and

by our action declare our faith in a resurrection of all the dead.

It is declared by immersion what we believe in the death of Christ, but we are not left

under the water but brought back up showing the resurrection of Jesus Christ and of all the dead.

Christ first and through him all others, those to eternal life and those to eternal punishment just

as the Scripture state. If Christ did not rise from the dead, burial in baptism would be

meaningless; and if He rose not, then no others will rise, and the faith we have is a false. This is

what Paul meant to persuade upon them that their baptism is meaningless if there be no

resurrection of the dead.

Also the word dead is a plural number in the Greek, so if we change it into the singular

we would change its meaning. Which is exactly what Mormons do by taking the position that

one is baptized for another. The word dead refers to the dead in general as well as Christ; not

only that He rose, but that all will rise in the same way.

The apostle Paul was arguing on the resurrection, the whole chapter is about this subject.

If we are to come to the same conclusion as Mormons do, that Paul is teaching that living

persons may be baptized for dead ones, then we must believe that he has introduced a whole new

subject in that one sentence which has no connection with the subject he was writing on. Again

it is about the resurrection not baptism. It is a subject that is not found anywhere else in all the

Bible. The Bible actually tells there is nothing that can be done for the dead. This is a clear

influence of Joseph Smith's involvement with the occult as he tells us that many dead saints

appeared to him and gave him the priesthood.

Since no one today can believe, repent, or confess faith in Christ for another by “proxy,”

We must conclude that no one can today receive baptism for another because it was always a

believers baptism. Additionally the scripture says Once someone dies an unbeliever there is no

chance to be baptized or anything else connected to Christian activity.

The Bible does not teach the LDS doctrine of baptism for the dead.

1Cor. 15:20 – 22 “But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that

slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in

Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ

the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.” Acts 4:12 “Neither is there

salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we

must be saved.” 1Thess. 5:9 “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation

by our Lord Jesus Christ,” 2Tim. 3:15 “And that from a child thou hast known the holy

scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ

Jesus.” Jn. 3:16 - 18 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that

whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his

Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that

believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he

hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” Jn. 3:36 “He that believeth on

the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of

God abideth on him.” Jn. 8:24 “I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye

believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.”

It is a fact that Mormonism from the beginning of its revelation to the end has been in

communication with the dead. So we should not be surprised that the issue of salvation has

something to do with the dead too. Baptism for the dead is an essential aspect of the fullness of

the gospel. It is so essential in fact that no living person can be saved without it. Doctrine and

Covenants 20:37 one reads those to be baptized must humble themselves, having “truly

repented” of all their sins before being baptized. Baptism is regarded as essential to salvation

and those, as the Pharisees and Lawyers (Luke 7:30), who reject baptism are thereby “forfeiting

their claim to salvation.” (P. 130)

“The greatest responsibility in this world that God has laid upon us is to seek after our dead”

(Journal of Discourses, Vol. 6, page 7).

Rebuttal: Matt. 8:22 “But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.”

Mk. 12:27 “He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living: ye therefore do greatly

err.”

But this practice is never mentioned in the Book of Mormon! Then how can the Book of

Mormon contain the fullness of the gospel if this is necessary for salvation? Seems some great

and precious promises are missing in their own book!

In contrast the Bible teaches us not to seek the dead but the living.

Not only does the Book of Mormon never mention baptism for the dead, and I might add

neither does the Bible, it also never mentions temple marriage or any of the other necessary

requirements of gaining exaltation or Godhood. There is a good reason for this; they were

developed and added as new revelation after the book was finished.

The Book of Mormon actually contradicts this In Alma 34:35-36 we read: “For behold,

if ye have procrastinated the day of your repentance even until death, behold ye have become

subjected to the spirit of the devil, and he does seal you his. Therefore, the spirit of the Lord has

withdrawn from you and hath no place in you; the power of the devil is over you, and this is the

final state of the wicked.” (As well as 2 Nephi 9:15) “But behold, the Lord hath redeemed my

soul from hell; I have beheld his glory, and I am encircled about eternally in the arms

of his love.”

Baptism for the dead is ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY for Salvation.

“This doctrine presents in a clear light the wisdom and mercy of God in preparing an ordinance

for the salvation of the dead, being baptized by proxy, their names recorded in heaven and they

judged according to the deeds done in the body. This doctrine was the burden of the scripture--.

Those Saints who neglect it in behalf of their deceased relatives, do it at the peril of their own

salvation” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, Joseph F. Smith, p. 193)

“Baptism is…the very gateway into the kingdom of heaven, an indispensable step in our

salvation and exaltation” (Bennet Why I am a Mormon p.124)

An essential companion doctrine to baptism for the dead is the practice of genealogy, which one

traces their “roots” to determine the names of dead relatives in their lineage. This is practiced

in Mormonism so that those dead ancestors can have temple works performed by proxy.

(Mormon Doctrine, p.308).

Mormon Apostle Bruce Mckonkie said, “baptism is the gate to the celestial

kingdom…Obviously during the frequent periods of apostate darkness when the gospel light does

not shine, and also in those geographical areas where the legal administrators are not found,

hosts of people live without ever entering the gate of baptism so as to be on the path leading to

eternal life. For them God has ordained baptism for the dead, a vicarious labor” (Mormon

Doctrine p.73).

Notice what this means, that they are on the path going toward eternal life and that this is

obtained by ones own work. This means grace through Jesus Christ is nullified and the free gift

is denied which the Bible clearly teaches.

Bruce R. McConkie has also stated in Mormon doctrine p.308 states Before vicarious

ordinances of salvation and exaltation those who have died without a knowledge of the gospel,

by who presumable would have received it had the opportunity come to them they must be

accurately and properly identified, hence Genealogical research is required. “It is also because

of this doctrine that Mormons are interested in genealogical research, “Works for and in behalf

of the dead” to gain them entrance into the kingdom.

Baptism by proxy for the dead is a major activity. “The saints are… redeeming their

(unbaptized ) dead from the grasp of Satan” (Mormon Plan of Salvation p.8). It is for this

reason that Mormon’s practice their doctrine Baptism for the Dead and Temple Marriage

ceremonies (as well as other secret ordinances) for the dead. These are considered part of their

“good works” for obtaining salvation.

“All other churches are entirely destitute of all authority from God, and any person who receives

baptism or the Lords supper from their hands will highly offend God. For he looks upon them as

the most contempt of all people, both Catholics and Protestants are nothing less than the whore

of Babylon” (Orson Pratt the Seer p.255)

There's no scripture reference in the Bible to it (1 Cor.15:29). None of the Church

Fathers record it in any of their writings, neither for themselves or for heretics. So this certainly

is a new revelation by prophet Smith. Clearly Mormonism's baptismal practice stands alone

among the churches today and throughout history. One second century sect, the Cataphrygians

(Montanists), seem to have developed the practice of baptizing actual corpses based on a

misunderstanding of this verse just as the Mormons misunderstand it today. (Evangelical

Dictionary of Theology, p.119)

Mormonism makes it clear that without this practice people cannot be saved. They do

not need to make a decision on our world, they can always postpone it to the next if they know

someone who is a Mormon willing to baptize by proxy.

In fact, they claim the missionary work done in the spirit world by the dead is taking

place on a grander scale than it is on Earth. This is what they mean when they state that Christ

died for all and all will be saved. Everyone gets another chance afterward. What If they reject

the baptism and the offer of salvation by the dead Mormon spirit preachers, do they get another

chance? This baptism seems to be connected to Spirit Missionaries who travel to the underworld

to preach! “Missionaries from paradise visit the spirit prison to teach the gospel” (Gospel

Principles chpt. 45 p. 280). “The Latter-day Saint view of the spirit world reveals that there is

work being performed there. The most magnificent and extensive missionary program the mind

can contemplate is centered in the spirit world” (Ensign, January 1977, p. 51)

Since this is what occurred, it seems strange that the Doctrine and Covenants would

claim that the Book of Mormon is “the fullness of the gospel” when such an important element is

missing.

Joseph Fielding Smith, 10th prophet of the Mormon Church explains what this term

means, “By fullness of the gospel is meant all the ordinances and principles that pertain to the

exaltation in the celestial kingdom” ( Doctrines of Salvation, Vol.1, p. 160).

Baptism for the dead, Doctrines of Salvation, Vol. II, p. 141. This is a practice of baptizing each

other in place of non-Mormons who are now dead. There are three levels of heaven according

the Mormons revelation. Telestial, terrestrial, and celestial ( Mormon Doctrine, p. 348). They

believe that the “ baptized” person will help the dead to enter into a higher level of Mormon

heaven in the afterlife.

Baptism is so important that Apostle McConkie says.... “since the Messiah came to earth

to work out his own salvation, as well as make salvation available to all men--we are justified in

concluding that he himself needed baptism .... The Lord Jesus, being a man, required baptism

even as other men. There is no other way.” (Bruce McConkie, The Promised Messiah, Pages

482, 485). This certainly confirms that the Mormon Jesus is not the creator that the Christian

Church has always taught and upheld from the scriptures. All you have to do is read Col.1:15 -

17; Jn.1:1 - 3; Heb.1:2 - 3) While Jesus was baptized by John it was not for salvation only sinful

men need this!

The Church teaches people were being baptized in Christ over a hundred years before

Christ came in the book of Mormon. While it may be feasible for Christian baptism to be

foretold by prophecy (although it is not mentioned in the Bible) it is a whole different event to be

practiced before Christ came to earth. The event of this ritual which is a token a seal of the New

Covenant can only make sense with it being done once the New Covenant is enacted. Since it is

an illustration of one being put in Christ and a subsequent resurrection. It is an illustration of the

Gospel which was hidden until it was revealed in the person and work of Christ himself.

Rom.16:25 - 26 “Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the

preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret

since the world began, But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets,

according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the

obedience of faith:”

To be baptized in water declares what one already believes that Christ died for our sins

and was buried and arose.

Notice what this means, that they are on the path going toward eternal life and that this is

obtained by ones own work. This means grace through Jesus Christ is nullified and the free gift

is denied which the Bible clearly teaches.

Baptism by proxy for the dead is a major activity. “The saints are… redeeming their

(unbaptized ) dead from the grasp of Satan” (Mormon Plan of Salvation p.8). It is for this reason

that Mormon’s practice their doctrine Baptism for the Dead and Temple Marriage ceremonies (as

well as other secret ordinances) for the dead. These are considered part of their “good works”

for obtaining salvation.

There's no scripture reference in the Bible to it (1 Cor.15:29). None of the Church

Fathers record it in any of their writings, neither for themselves or for heretics. So this certainly

is a new revelation by prophet Smith. Clearly Mormonism's baptismal practice stands alone

among the churches today and throughout history.

Mormonism makes it clear that without this practice people cannot be saved. They do

not need to make a decision on our world, they can always postpone it to the next if they know

someone who is a Mormon willing to baptize by proxy.

The lengths they will go for a convert (see Matthew 23:15) is quite applicable.

“The ordinances of the gospel of Jesus Christ are essential to salvation. It is necessary that all

men who desire the fullest salvation in the Celestial Kingdom of God participate in them” (The

Religion of the Latter-day Saints, p. 179).

These doctrines are so essential that a book which is read by couples prior to their temple

marriage as, “Baptism Is the Gate to Salvation: Marriage Is the Gate to Exaltation.” The living

are but few compared with the dead; and it follows Of necessity that the ordinance-work for the

departed exceeds by a great preponderance that done for the living.” (Achieving a Celestial

Marriage, PP. 198 & 201).

Mormon Apostle Bruce R. McConkie also taught: “...the Lord has ordained baptism for

the dead as the means whereby all his worthy children of all ages can become heirs of salvation

in his kingdom” (Mormon Doctrine, p.73). Not only do children have this ability but many

despots with no choice of their own can enter the fantasy world of Mormon salvation.

Mormons have now done their secret “saving ordinances” (by proxy) for none other than

Adolf Hitler. Not only has the infamous Hitler been baptized, confirmed, and ordained, he has

even been sealed to his “eternal wives” (Yes, plural!) That’s right, he will become a God on his

own planet so finally his dream to rule will come true. This is something the Mormons will not

tell the public, wonderful isn't it.

Here is a portion of the record of the Baptism of the Dead:

LDS ORDINANCE: Baptized: 10 Dec. 1993. London Temple. HITLER, Hielder (Mrs.) ...

Marriage (civil) abt. 1929, Germany. SPOUSE: Adolf Hitler

LDS ORDINANCES: Sealed to spouse Sep. 28, 1993 Jordan River Temple. SPOUSE: Eva

Braun

LDS ORDINANCES: Sealed to spouse 14 June, 1994, LA Temple.

Hitler is now a Mormon saved for heaven as a bigamist, and may be well on his way to

becoming a Mormon God on his own planet.

There are numerous other Prominent People Mormons have Baptized by Proxy .

According to Collected Discourses, Vol.3, Appendix, Wilford Woodruff, December 13, 1893,

the following men were baptized by proxy in the St. George Temple on August 21, 1877:

All the Signers of the Declaration of Independence except John Hancock and William Floyd who

were later baptized.

Benjamin Franklin was ordained an LDS High Priest by proxy on August 22 - 24)

Between August 22 - 23, 1877 all of the remaining US Presidents were baptized by proxy except

James Buchannan, Martin Van Buren, and Ulysses S. Grant. President Grant who was still alive,

but “President Woodruff declined the performance of the Temple work for these two deceased

Presidents due to the actions they performed against the Saints during their administrations.

Imagine that someone holds the ability as a man to decide your future destiny, the Mormons

don’t just claim to be gods in the future but the leaders play god here on earth now.

The baptism for President James Buchanan was performed 4 June 1932 in the Salt Lake

Temple, and endowments were given 19 October 1932 (#20580, Book 4T, pg. 924). Baptismal

work for President Martin Van Buren was performed 4 May 1938 in the Salt Lake Temple, and

endowments were given 21 June 1938 (#4564, Book 6H, pg. 203)” (Collected Discourses, Vol.3,

Appendix, Wilford Woodruff, December 13, 1893).

According to the Salt Lake Tribune (8/17/91, p.A6) these are some of the following

presidents have also been baptized Mormon. Dwight Eisenhower (US President) , Patrick Henry

(American Statesman) Abraham Lincoln (US President) Miguel Pro (Catholic Priest) Paul

Revere (American patriot and silversmith) William Shakespeare (Playwright) Leo Tolstoy

(Russian novelist).

Here are just a few other historical figures who Also received proxy baptisms in August

of 1877: Napoleon Bonaparte (French Dictator), Christopher Columbus (Explorer - Ordained an

LDS High Priest by proxy on August 22-24), Daniel O. Connell (First Catholic member of

British Parliament), David Livingstone (Christian Missionary), Thomas Babington Macauley

(English historian, essayist, and statesman), Lord Horatio Nelson (British naval admiral), George

Peabody (American Philanthropist), Frederick II - A.K.A. “Frederick the Great” (King of

Prussia) Daniel Webster (American Statesman) , John Wesley (Christian Evangelist/Pastor -

ordained an LDS High Priest by proxy on August 22 - 24) (excerpts from Mormonism Research

Ministry).

A news service records: “Researchers say that Mormons have continued to posthumously

baptize Jewish Holocaust victims into their faith despite a promise to discontinue the practice.”

“We are very hopeful that we will be able to convince the church to stop,” Ernest Michel,

chairman of the New York-based World Gathering of Jewish Holocaust Survivors, said Friday.

If not, Michel said, his group will consider other options, “possibly legal steps.”....

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has long collected names from government

documents and other records worldwide for posthumous baptisms. Church members stand in to

be baptized in the names of the deceased non-Mormons, a ritual the church says is required for

them to reach heaven....

http://breakingnews.nypost.com/dynamic/stories/B/BAPTIZING_THE_DEAD?SITE=NYNYP

&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

A more a recent article (4/9/05) in the Associated Press. Jews, Mormons to meet over

baptism for the dead. “The Mormon church has long collected names from government

documents and other records worldwide for posthumous baptisms. Church members stand in to

be baptized in the names of the deceased non-Mormons, a ritual the church says is required for

the dead to reach heaven. The practice is primarily intended to give salvation to the ancestors of

Mormons, but many others are included by a church that believes that individuals' ability to

choose a religion continues beyond the grave.

Jews are stating the Mormons have broken their promise. “Ernest Michel, chairman of

the New York-based World Gathering of Jewish Holocaust Survivors plans to show posthumous

baptism records to church officials in meetings Sunday and Monday - records he said prove tens

of thousands of Jews, including some who died in Nazi concentration camps, were posthumously

baptized over the past 10 years and as recently as last month.” A 1995 agreement signed by

Jewish leaders and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints called for an immediate halt

to unwanted proxy baptisms. After evidence was found in the church's massive International

Genealogical Index that the baptisms for many Jews - including Anne Frank - continued, the two

faiths reaffirmed the agreement in 2002. New York Jews have bitterly complained that the

baptisms never stopped, and last year asked Sen. Hillary Clinton to intervene.”

Most Catholic popes have been proxy baptized, as have historical figures like Ghengis

Khan, Joan of Arc, Adolf Hitler, Josef Stalin and Buddha, according to Salt Lake City researcher

Helen Radkey.

Mormon church President Gordon B. Hinckley, 94, called the proxy baptism process a ''revealed

truth'' when the LDS church held its 175th annual conference last weekend. ''We serve in behalf

of those who have died without a knowledge of the gospel. Theirs is the option to accept or

reject the ordinance which is performed,''

The Mormon Church has contingent of men and women microfilming records of all

different churches, birth and death certificates any type of record connected with past generations.

Over Two Billion (2,000,000,000) deceased persons names have been stored in the record vault

in a granite mountain east of Salt Lake City. The Temple Mormons goal is to have all of the

previous generations who have died baptized by proxy into the Mormon Church.

The Bible soundly condemns the practice of genealogy for religious purposes (1 Timothy

1:4 and Titus 3:9). The only genealogy that was traced were of the priests and of Christ. The

Bible clearly teaches that there are no opportunities for salvation after death. Any doctrine that

teaches otherwise is false and dangerous. As Hebrews 9:27 proclaims: “...it is appointed unto

men once to die, but after this the judgment.”

This is not much different from the Roman Catholic view of indulgences for the dead to

have them be relieved of their suffering.

“This doctrine presents in a clear light the wisdom and mercy of God in preparing an ordinance

for the salvation of the dead, being baptized by proxy, their names recorded in heaven and they

judged according to the deeds done in the body. This doctrine was the burden of the scripture--.

Those Saints who neglect it in behalf of their deceased relatives, do it at the peril of their own

salvation” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, Joseph F. Smith, p. 193)

The true word of God- the Bible does not teach a second chance for anyone after death.

The great gulf which could not be crossed between the rich man and Lazarus as taught by Jesus

should settle the issue (Lk. 16:26) I'll take the words over Jesus who has the keys of death and

hell over any new prophet that might come along that speaks contrary to Him. Scripture teaches

that we will be judged according to deeds done in the body while we were alive. (2 Cor. 5:10).

The “proxy baptism,” by “vicarious savior's “ of L.D.S., in order to uphold itself, must

show that the whole concept of proxy baptism is taught in the Bible as a consistent teaching not

just twisting and lifting an obscure passage to prove that their vicarious baptism interpretation is

the true interpretation of 1 Cor.15:29.

Mormons practice baptism for the dead using 1Cor 15:29 as their biblical justification:

“Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead. If the dead rise not, why then are they

baptized for the dead?”

Paul uses several arguments to prove that there is a resurrection and there must be life

after the grave: the fact that Christ rose from the dead why do some of you say there is no

resurrection (vs. 12 - 16); as he previously wrote of 500 witnesses (vs.6). That if Christ is still

dead there is no forgiveness of sin no salvation (vs.17 - 18); if there is no life beyond the grave

then Christianity is the most miserable religion because we are called to deny ourselves in this

life in exchange for the life to come. And we have become false witnesses and have no

message (2 Cor. 4:8 - 18) in 15:29 his argument is that even the pagans believe in a life beyond

the grave, as evidenced by the fact that they baptize for the dead. Some of the Corinthians were

believing likewise.

There are about as many views on this subject as their are opinions on Eschatology. One

view that comes with substantial validity is the fact that the Corinthians were bringing in the way

pagans practiced tongues as a free for all in service and Paul rebukes them explaining that God

has order and the purpose and use for the tongue. In like manner it has been suggested that they

took the concept of the pagans of baptizing for the dead. One thing is certain-- it was about

pagans. If the Corinthians were doing the same they were practicing a false doctrine.

But how do we know he's referring to pagans? Earlier in Chapter 15 (vs. 12, 14, 15, 17,

etc.) Paul uses the pronouns we, you, our, your, and ye, referring to himself, the apostles and the

Christians in Corinth who he was writing this letter to. In verse 29 the pronoun changes to they;

then at verse 30 it reverts to we. Who are “they”? Clearly those referred to as they in verse 29

are not the Christians he refers to as you and we, but the pagans that lived among them. The

latter practiced baptism for the dead, but there is no hint that Christians did or should do so,

because that is contrary to the gospel. Heb. 9:27 “And as it is appointed unto men once to die,

but after this the judgment:” The bible speaks directly against the Mormon teaching of a

postponed judgment and even salvation offered after one dies.

LESSON 11

The Mormon Doctrines and Teachings

SALVATION: The Mormon Hierarchies Statement of Faith: “That water baptism and the

Lord's Supper are ordinances to be observed by the Church during the present age. They are,

however, not to be regarded as means of salvation or necessary for salvation. That man was

created in the image of God but fell into sin and is, therefore, lost, and only through

regeneration by the Holy Spirit can salvation and spiritual life be obtained. That the true

Church is composed of all such persons who through saving faith in Jesus Christ have been

regenerated by the Holy Spirit and are united together in the Body of Christ of which He is the

Head.”

(Miracle of Forgiveness, by Spencer W. Kimball, p. 206). "One of the most fallacious doctrines

originated by Satan and propounded by man is that man is saved alone by the grace of God; that

belief in Jesus Christ alone is all that is needed for salvation,"

(Mormon Doctrine, p. 193; Journal of Discourses, vol. 6, p. 8). “A plan of salvation was needed

for the people of earth so Jesus offered a plan to the Father and Satan offered a plan to the

father but Jesus' plan was accepted. In effect the Devil wanted to be the Savior of all Mankind

and to "deny men their agency and to dethrone god,"

(Journal of Discourses, vol. 3, 1856, p. 247). “Jesus' sacrifice was not able to cleanse us from

all our sins, (murder and repeated adultery are exceptions).”

(Articles of Faith, p. 92). “Good works are necessary for salvation.”

(Doctrines of Salvation, vol. 1, p. 188). “There is no salvation without accepting Joseph Smith

as a prophet of God.”

(Articles of Faith, by James Talmage, p. 78-79). "The first effect [of the atonement] is to secure

to all mankind alike, exemption from the penalty of the fall, thus providing a plan of General

Salvation. The second effect is to open a way for Individual Salvation whereby mankind may

secure remission of personal sins.”

(Articles of Faith, p. 79). "As these sins are the result of individual acts it is just that

forgiveness for them should be conditioned on individual compliance with prescribed

requirements -- 'obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.”

(LDS Bible Dictionary, p. 697). "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,"

2 Nephi 25:23 "We know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do,"

Mormons believe the cross of Christ is foolishness and thus you will not find a cross in or on top

of a Mormon temple. Thus a Mormon could say "Do not make the pathetic error of 'clinging to

the old rugged cross'."

Mormons believe the blood Jesus Christ shed on the cross is not what saves and thus Mormons

will not use red wine or red juice for communion but they use water. Thus a Mormon could say

"A slain Christ has no meaning."

Mormons believe that salvation is not found in placing your faith and trust in Jesus Christ alone

but in good works. Thus a Mormon could say "My salvation comes from me."

Rebuttal: The Scriptures teach assertively that salvation is by Christ’s shed blood, death on the

cross for our sins and bodily resurrection from the dead and it is by grace through faith alone,

and accomplished only through the mediating work of the Son of God. It is wholly apart from

works and is upon the sole condition of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and never without

genuine repentance. In order to be saved the sinner must be born again, personally receiving

Christ as Lord and Savior. I would like to add that in the Gospel of John the theme “Saved by

Believing” is seen ninety nine times, almost one hundred times in the Word of God. Acts 4:12

“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among

men, whereby we must be saved.” Eph. 2:8, 9 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and

that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” Titus 3:5

- 6 “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us,

by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us

abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;” Rom. 5:1 “Therefore being justified by faith, we

have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Gal. 2:16 “Knowing that a man is not

justified by the works of the law, but by faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus

Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by

the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.” Rom. 10:9 “That if thou shalt confess with thy

mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou

shalt be saved.” Gal. 3: 26 “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.” Rom.

3:20 - 28 “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by

the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested,

being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of

Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: For all have

sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the

redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in

his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the

forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and

the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what

law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by

faith without the deeds of the law.”

Conclusion: Mormonism claim to be Christian, but accept as Scripture writings outside of the

Bible, teach doctrines that contradict the Bible, and hold to beliefs completely foreign to the

teachings of Jesus and His apostles.

Mormons share with orthodox Christians some important moral precepts from the Bible.

However, the Mormon teachings and doctrines are examples of the many fundamental and

irreconcilable differences between historic, biblical Christianity and Mormonism. While these

differences do not keep us from being friendly with Mormons, we cannot consider them brothers

and sisters in Christ. The Bible specifically warns of false prophets who will teach "another

gospel" centered around "another Jesus," and witnessed to by "another spirit" (2 Corinthians 11:4,

13 - 15; Galatians 1:6 - 9). Based on the evidence presented in this study, we believe

Mormonism represents just such a counterfeit gospel.

It has been pointed out that if one claimed to be a Mormon but denied all the basic tenets of

Mormonism — that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God, that the Book of Mormon is true and

divinely inspired, that god was once a man who progressed to godhood through keeping the laws

and ordinances of the Mormon Church, and that the Mormon Church was divinely established —

the Mormon Church would reject such a person’s claim to being a Latter-day Saint. One cannot

fairly call oneself a Mormon if one does not believe the fundamental doctrines taught by the

Mormon Church. By the same token, if the Mormon Church does not hold to even the basic

biblical truths believed by the greater Christian community down through the ages, how can

Christians reasonably be expected to accept Mormonism as authentic Christianity?

If the Mormon Church believes it is the only true Christian Church, it should not attempt to

publicly present itself as a part of a broader Christian community. Instead it should tell the world

openly that those who claim to be orthodox Christians are not really Christians at all, and that the

Mormon Church is the only true Christian Church. This in fact is what it teaches privately, but

not publicly.

The Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, is the inspired Word of God, without error in the

original writings, the complete revelation of His will for the salvation of men and the Divine and

final authority for Christian faith and life.