Mormonism (LDS)
Background
Joseph Smith was the founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, or better known as the Church of Mormon. He was born on Dec. 23, 1805 in Vermont.
When Joseph Smith was 17 years old, an angel appeared to him named "Moroni". This angel told him that he was the one chosen by God to translate some golden plates hidden nearby that told of the history of the Nephites, Lamanites, and others who supposedly lived in the Americas during the early part of the first millenium.
Joseph Smith made the claim that John the Baptist had appeared to him and told him that all of the churches of his day were wrong, and that he had been called to start a new church.
Joseph Smith then started a new church. After much persecution in New York and other places, the Mormons were finally forced to move to Nauvoo, Illinois. Joseph Smith and his brother were sent to jail there for various reasons, including the fact that they destroyed a printing press that had been used to say bad things about the Mormons. There a mob broke in and killed both of them. The religion was then carried on by Brigham Young.
Interesting Facts
-In many Satanic cults, the god of the dead is called "Mormo", which is close to Mormon.
-After Joseph Smith's death, Brigham Young dressed up in Joseph Smith's clothes and proclaimed himself to be Joseph Smith, risen from the dead. He then named himself (Brigham Young) as his successor. After that he went and changed clothes and came back as Brigham Young, the new successor to Joseph Smith.
-Joseph Smith was supposedly able to carry by himself a long way many tablets of pure gold which more more than 2 feet long and 1 foot wide, which would have been many times heavier than he was. No one ever saw these gold tablets except him.
Mormon Doctrines
These are taken from the CARM website from Mormon Doctrines Page.
1. The true gospel was lost from the earth. Mormonism is its restoration, Mormon Doctrine, by Bruce R. McConkie, p. 635. They teach there was an apostasy and the true church ceased to exist on earth.
2. We need prophets today, the same as in the Old Testament, Mormon Doctrine, p. 606.
3. The book of Mormon is more correct than the Bible, History of the Church, 4:461.
4. 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.
5. There are many gods, Mormon Doctrine, p. 163.
6. There is a mother god, Articles of Faith, by James Talmage, p. 443.
7. God used to be a man on another planet, Mormon Doctrine, p. 321. Joseph Smith, Times and Seasons, Vol 5, pp. 613-614; Orson Pratt, Journal of Discourses, Vol 2, p. 345, Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, vol. 7, p. 333.
8. After you become a good Mormon, you have the potential of becoming a god, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pages 345-347, 354.
9. God the Father had a Father, Joseph Smith, History of the Church, vol. 6, p. 476; Heber C. Kimball, Journal of Discourses, vol. 5, p. 19; Milton Hunter, First Council of the Seventy, Gospel through the Ages, p. 104-105.
10. God resides near a star called Kolob, Pearl of Great Price, pages 34-35; Mormon Doctrine, p. 428.
11. God the Father has a body of flesh and bones, Doctrine and Covenants, 130:22.
12. God is in the form of a man, Joseph Smith, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 6, p. 3.
13. God is married to his goddess wife and has spirit children, Mormon Doctrine p. 516.
14. We were first begotten as spirit children in heaven and then born naturally on earth, Journal of Discourse, Vol. 4, p. 218.
15. The first spirit to be born in heaven was Jesus, Mormon Doctrine, page 129.
16. The Devil was born as a spirit after Jesus "in the morning of pre-existence," Mormon Doctrine, page 192.
17. Jesus and Satan are spirit brothers and we were all born as siblings in heaven to them both, Mormon Doctrine, p. 163.
18. 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." Mormon Doctrine, page 193; Journal of Discourses, vol. 6, page 8.
19. God had sexual relations with Mary to make the body of Jesus, Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 4, p. 218, 1857; vol. 8, p. 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.
20. Jesus' sacrifice was not able to cleanse us from all our sins, (murder and repeated adultery are exceptions), Journal of Discourses, Vol. 3, p. 247, 1856.
21. Good works are necessary for salvation, Articles of Faith, p. 92.
22. There is no salvation without accepting Joseph Smith as a prophet of God, Doctrines of Salvation, Vol. 1, p. 188.
23. 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. Their belief is that in the afterlife, the "newly baptized" person will be able to enter into a higher level of Mormon heaven.
24. There are three levels of heaven: telestial, terrestrial, and celestial, Mormon Doctrine, p. 348.
25. The Holy Ghost is a male personage, A Marvelous Work and a Wonder, by Le Grand Richards, Salt Lake City, 1956, page 118; Journal of Discources, Vol. 5, page 179
Interesting Quotes
-"I have more to boast of than ever any man had. I am the only man that has ever been able to keep a whole church together since the days of Adam. A large majority of the whole have stood by me. Neither Paul, John, Peter, nor Jesus ever did it. I boast that no man ever did such a work as I. The followers of Jesus ran away from Him; but the Latter-day Saints never ran away from me yet!" History of the Church, Vol. 6, p. 408-409
-"I prophesy in the name of the Lord God of Israel, unless the United States redress the wrongs committed upon the Saints in the state of Missouri and punish the crimes committed by her officers that in a few years the government will be utterly overthrown and wasted, and there will not be so much as a potsherd left..." History of the Church, Vol. 5, p. 394
-"I have always declared God to be a distinct personage, Jesus Christ a separate and distinct personage from God the Father, and the Holy Ghost was a distinct personage and a Spirit: and these three constitute three distinct personages and three Gods." Teachings of Prophet Joseph Smith p. 370
-"There is not a man or woman, who violates the covenants made with their God, that will not be required to pay the debt. The blood of Christ will never wipe that out, your own blood must atone for it..." Journal of Discourses, Vol. 3, page 247; see also, Vol. 4, pp. 53-54, 219-220
-"God himself is increasing and progressing in knowledge, power, and dominion, and will do so, worlds without end..." Journal of Discourses, Vol. 6, p. 120
-"I have given you a few leading items upon this subject, but a great deal more remains to be told. Now, remember from this time forth, and for ever, that Jesus Christ was not begotten by the Holy Ghost." Journal of Discourses, Vol. 1, page 51
-"In the days of Joseph it was considered a great privilege to be permitted to speak to a member of Congress, but twenty-six years will not pass away before the Elders of this Church will be as much thought of as the kings on their thrones..." Journal of Discourses, Vol. 4, page 40
-"Shall I tell you the law of God in regard to the African race? If the white man who belongs to the chosen seed mixes his blood with the seed of Cain, the penalty, under the law of God, is death on the spot. This will always be so." Journal of Discourses, Volume 10, page 110
Conclusion
"I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!" Galatians 1:6-8.
It is clear that God takes it seriously when people try to add things to His Holy Scripture. I believe that the part where it says "or an angel from heaven preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you" was reserved specifically for Mormonism. Mormonism is clearly a "different gospel" preached by an "angel" that was really a demon. There is no way that you can reconcile the "Mormon Doctrine" with Christian Doctrine. It is completely outrageous.
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Written 3/9/03
