Two former Mormons explain the evidence they discovered that led them out of Mormonism and into Christianity in this eleven-part video from the John Ankerberg Show.
One:
Mormonism
Did King David have to pay for his sin in Hell?
In recent years Mormonism has been trying very hard to appear as if they are Christians (a far cry from historic Mormonism who openly opposed biblical Christianity), and due to Mormonism’s great PR, many folks have bought this lie, believing that Mormonism is just another branch or denomination of Christianity (a recent example can be seen here).
But anyone who takes the time to study what Mormonism actually teaches and believes (and who knows the biblical doctrines of the Christian faith) is well aware that nothing could be farther from the truth. Christianity and Mormonism are not compatible. Mormonism preaches another gospel with another Christ; neither of which can save.
There are many examples that can be cited of the great chasm of theology between biblical Christianity and Mormonism, but today I wanted to bring your attention to Mormonism’s version of the unforgivable sin, the concept of Mormon purgatory, and Mormonism’s doctrine of Blood Atonement.
Simply put, the LDS doctrine of Blood Atonement teaches that some sins a man commits cannot be cleansed by the shed blood of Christ and that man has to shed his own blood (die) in order to atone for that sin (as if man’s own blood is of greater value and is more efficacious in washing away sin than that of the Son of God).
Although this post is not primarily about Mormonism’s doctrine of Blood Atonement, being acquainted with it will help you better understand the concept of Mormon purgatory as well as their version of the unforgivable sin. You can find out more about the Mormon doctrine of Blood Atonement here: The Mormon doctrine of Blood Atonement as taught by Brigham Young and here: The Doctrine of Blood Atonement as taught by the Mormon organization.
Roman Catholicism is credited with creating the fictional place between Heaven and Hell called purgatory which they claim is where sinners burn off (atone for) their sins. In reality it was just a way to make more money for Rome. Mormonism, on the other hand, did not invent a new place of torment or suffering, they just employ Hell itself as the place where some sinners pay for their sins.
Where Mormonism’s Blood Atonement leaves off with the sinner paying for his sin on earth, Mormon purgatory picks up in the afterlife.
The following excerpts come from Spencer W. Kimball (the twelfth president, prophet, seer, and revelator of the Mormon church) from chapter nine of his book The Miracle of Forgiveness. After seeing what Mormonism teaches about forgiveness, you’ll wonder what’s so miraculous about it.
From Page 127:
The murderer denies himself salvation in the celestial kingdom, and in this sense he cannot be forgiven for his crime.
So there’s no forgiveness for murderers? Try to find that in Scripture.
From Page 128:
Another scriptural character responsible for murder-and this in conjunction with adultery-was the great King David. For his dreadful crime, all his life afterward he sought forgiveness. Some of the Psalms portray the anguish of his soul, yet David is still paying for his sin.
The Prophet Joseph Smith underlined the seriousness of the sin of murder for David as for all men, and the fact that there is no forgiveness for it. “A murderer, for instance, one that sheds innocent blood, cannot have forgiveness. David sought repentance at the hand of God carefully with tears, for the murder of Uriah; but he could only get it through hell: he got a promise that his soul should not be left in hell.”
Wow! According to Mormonism David is still paying for His sin and he’s in Hell clinging to the promise that eventually he’ll get out because God won’t leave him there forever?
From Page 129:
Man’s mortal life is given him in which to repent and prepare himself for eternity, and should one of his fellowmen terminate his life and thus limit his progress by making his repentance impossible, it would be a ghastly deed, a tremendous responsibility for which the murderer might not be able to atone in his lifetime.
Since when does man atone for any of his own sins? Atonement for sin is what Christ–the spotless Lamb of God–came to earth to accomplish. If man could do it then there would be no need for a Savior.
From Page 131:
Even unpardonable sins should be repented of. The murderer does not have eternal life abiding in him, but a merciful God will grant to every soul adequate rewards for every good deed he does. God is just. He will compensate for every effort to do good, to repent, to overcome sin. Even the murderer is justified in repenting and mending his ways and building up a credit balance in his favor.
Man does not build up his own credit balance. He is incapable of doing such a feat. This is why Christ died, in order to remove our sin and credit His righteousness to us (2 Corinthians 5:21).
As if this wasn’t enough to send you running, on this same page (131) Kimball quoted Joseph Smith when he said that murderers “could not be baptized for the remission of sins, for they had shed innocent blood.” Then Kimball quoted Doctrines & Covenants 42:18 when he said “Thou shalt not kill; and he that kills shall not have forgiveness in this world, nor in the world to come.“
So, according to Mormon theology, not only would King David have to suffer in Hell to atone for his sin of murder, but so would the likes of Moses and the Apostle Paul (and they still would not receive forgiveness). Apparently the Apostle Paul was unaware of this minor detail because he was under the (inspired) assumption that “to be absent from the body is to be with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8)
and “to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21).
And lest you think you’re safe because you’ve never murdered anyone, remember that Jesus equated being angry with your brother to that of murder; both being in danger of the judgment (Matthew 5:21-22).
The Mormon teaching that some sinners are outside the realm of Christ’s atonement and God’s forgiveness is not only completely foreign to the Bible but the Mormon doctrine of Blood Atonement and the idea that murderers cannot be forgiven but must seek repentance while in Hell is utterly blasphemous, for it ascribes to the sinner’s suffering and shed blood a purity and cleansing power that Christ’s suffering and shed blood was supposedly insufficient to provide.
There is only one transgression that the Bible clearly expresses that will not be forgiven, and it is the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. Matthew 12:31-32 says:
Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.
Notice the Bible says that “all manner of sin” will be forgiven except “blasphemy against the Holy Ghost.” Mormonism has once again taken the liberty to add to and alter God’s perspicuous Word.
No sinner is ever justified before God or has their sins cleansed because they died or suffered for their own transgressions. Only sinners who have put their faith in Christ have had their sins removed by Him (Acts 10:43, Romans 5:2, 1 John 3:5), and they are saved from the wrath of God by the precious shed blood of Christ (Romans 5:9, 1 Peter 1;18-19) not by man’s shed blood nor by man suffering in purgatory or Hell.
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9
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You can read Kimball’s The Miracle of Forgiveness online here.
Mormon prophet lends credibility to a wild claim.
Mormonism is known for its tall tales: Claims of Quaker-like people living on the moon, people living on the sun, God living on the planet Kolob, spiritual vegetables, black skin being a sign that you’re cursed of God, or Joseph Smith’s claim that he was visited by two members of the Trinity in the secluded woods (depending, of course, on which version of his vision you actually believe).
Then there’s this doosey from Spencer W. Kimball, the twelfth president, prophet, seer, and revelator of the Mormon church writing in his book The Miracle of Forgiveness (pages 127-128) about an encounter a fellow Mormon had with a still-living biblical character.
Meet 6,000+ year-old Cain:
On the sad character Cain, an interesting story comes to us from Lycurgus A. Wilson’s book on the life of David W. Patten. From the book I quote an extract from a letter by Abraham O. Smoot giving his recollection of David Patten’s account of meeting “a very remarkable person who had represented himself as being Cain.”
“‘As I was riding along the road on my mule I suddenly noticed a very strange personage walking beside me—. His head was about even with my shoulders as I sat in my saddle. He wore no clothing, but was covered with hair. His skin was very dark. I asked him where he dwelt and he replied that he had no home, that he was a wanderer in the earth and traveled to and fro. He said he was a very miserable creature, that he had earnestly sought death during his sojourn upon the earth, but that he could not die, and his mission was to destroy the souls of men. About the time he expressed himself thus, I rebuked him in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by virtue of the Holy Priesthood, and commanded him to go hence, and he immediately departed out of my sight . . . .”
Quotes (872)
The Anthropomorphites, who dreamed of a corporeal God, because mouth, ears, eyes, hands, and feet, are often ascribed to him in Scripture, are easily refuted. For who is so devoid of intellect as not to understand that God, in so speaking, lisps with us as nurses do with little children? Such modes of expression, therefore, do not so much express what kind of a being God is, as accommodate the knowledge of him to our feebleness. In doing so, he must, of course, stoop far below his proper height.
John Calvin
1509-1564
How an LDS faction is born.
In light of the question posed in Coram Deo’s recent post, and in light of this fictional article about a Mississippi farm boy claiming revelation that the LDS church is apostate, I offer for your listening pleasure an audio piece that you can stream (for free) or download (for a small fee) from the podcast This American Life about how a real faction/split from Mormonism occurs with all sides claiming inspiration, revelation, and heavenly visitations (just like Joseph Smith).
You can find the podcast here. (The part of interest is the first 22 minutes of the hour-long podcast.)
The reason this piece is relevant is because we so often hear the mantra from the Mormon camp that Christianity is false as evidenced by its denominations, while Mormonism is true because they’re one and united, without any splits, divisions, or denominations.
This, like so many other LDS claims, is simply not true. Mormonism is rife with splits and divisions. You can see them chronicled here: The Lie of LDS Unity.
National Association of Apostate Evangelicals
The NAE has long been a friend of the World Council of Churches and false prophets. Ted Haggard did them no favors as president. And now – proving that the doctrine of Total Depravity does NOT mean that people are as bad as they can be, the NAE collectively displays this doctrine of man’s innate sinfulness as they run away from the narrow Truth of the Word of God they purport to serve. May God have mercy on those deceived by this bunch.
From: http://apprising.org
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF EVANGELICALS SEEKS COMMON GROUND WITH MORMONISM
By Ken Silva pastor-teacher on Mar 10, 2011 in AM Missives, Current Issues, Features, Islam, Mormonism
The online apologetics and discernment work Apprising Ministries has been documenting the growing falling away of the mainstream evangelical community.
I’ve also warned you that there is a tsunami of apostasy—pushed along by 1 Peter 4:17 judgments—headed toward the church visible. Not a few of these judgments have come through evanjellyfish’s foolish embrace of the sinfully ecumenical Emergent Church aka the Emerging Church headed by the unholy trinity of apostates, Living Spiritual Teacher and EC guru Brian McLaren, universalist EC pastor Doug Pagitt, and his friend Tony Jones, the progressive “theologian in residence” at Solomon’s Porch.
Here’s a quick synopsis of how we came to live in this age, which has critically obscured our reverent fear of the LORD God Almighty. Satan finally succeeded in raising up his next generation of what Dr. Walter Martin, who was widely recognized as the “father of modern cult apologetics,” had called the Cult of Liberal Theology. And in an onslaught against the Body of Christ beginning just after the first World War the Devil started playing the heartstrings of mankind’s selfish sinful nature like a master violinist. A veritable symphony of insipid indifference and tepid tolerance, which continues to serve the purpose of amusing the enemy of men’s souls to this very day.
A perfect example is the EC’s new version of postmodern Progressive Christian theology—a Liberalism 2.0—under their spiritual circus “big tent” of empty Emergence Christianity; now one of its biggest proponents, Emerging Church rock star pastor Rob Bell, is all but Out Of The Closet For Universalism and set to unload what appears to be a form of heretical Christian Universalism right within the heart of the visible church. Spiritually spineless evanjellyfish is actually defenseless against this because for years now it’s been using the warped and toxic teachings of such as these in their own Young Adult and Youth ministries, which has collapsed the pillar of sola Scriptura in its own younger sectors.
Syncretism is the order of the day as evidenced by what seems to be a Chrislamic movement. Take for example the latest book by theologian Miroslav Volf who puts forth the highly subjective postmodern mythology “that Christians and Muslims, notwithstanding their important and ineradible differences, have a common and similarly understood God.”[1] With this in mind let me remind you that Phyllis Tickle, easily the Empress of this Emergence apostasy, has mused that Mormonism Is Arguably The Fourth Great Abrahamic Faith; and she’s not alone. As you can see in SBC’s Richard Land Says Mormonism Fourth Abrahamic Faith Land, who’s President of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission for the Slowly Becoming Catholic, dreams that:
perhaps the most charitable way for an evangelical Christian to look at Mormonism is to look at Mormonism as the fourth Abrahamic faith. (Online source)
Only in the postmodern Wonderland of Humpty Dumpty language could this be so; from having studied Comparative Religion and non-Christian cults for 23+ years now, I can assure you that Islam and Mormonism are not Abrahamic faiths. As you’ll read in <a title="Permanent Link to KEEPING YOU APPRISED OF: ISLAM” href=”http://apprising.org/2005/09/05/keeping-you-apprised-of-islam/” rel=”bookmark” target=”_blank”>Keeping You Apprised Of: Islam, the god of the Quran is not the God of the Bible; and Mormonism teaches polytheism (many gods), which is in complete conflict with the monotheism (one God) of the Bible. Which now brings me to Press Release: Evangelical Leaders Meet in Utah from the National Association of Evangelicals where we’re told:
The National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) Board of Directors, which includes the CEOs of 40 denominations and representatives of a broad array of evangelical organizations and churches, will gather in Park City and Salt Lake City on March 10, 2011 for its semiannual board meeting.
This meeting is the first to be held in Utah, where the majority of its residents are Mormons. In addition to board business, the NAE leaders will meet with Utah Gov. Gary Herbert at the Governor’s Mansion to discuss various issues of concern to evangelicals. The board will also meet with a leader from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS).
“We hope this time of dialogue with LDS leaders will deepen our understanding of the Mormon faith and contribute to the ongoing work of evangelicals in Utah,” said Leith Anderson, NAE President. “For the sake of Christ and his kingdom, we seek to represent biblical evangelicalism to those who wouldn’t hear or know. We also look for common ground on issues where we can work together.” (Online source)
Yes, that sounds very pious; but I find myself wondering, whatever happened to preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ—God the Son; co-eternal with God the Father? After-all, Anderson et al have the example of the Apostle Paul in Holy Scripture; permit me to show you:
And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and tried to persuade Jews and Greeks. When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul was occupied with the word, testifying to the Jews that the Christ was Jesus. And when they opposed and reviled him, he shook out his garments and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.” (Acts 18:4-6)
Notice carefully that God the Holy Spirit doesn’t say anything about the Apostle Paul looking for common ground on issues where they could work together. Instead, God tells the Christian that we shouldn’t be aligned with unbelieving pagan idolators, which is precisely what the Bible teaches they are:
Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.” (2 Corintians 6:14-18)
Years ago Dr. John MacArthur was among those who rightly opposed the Evangelicals & Catholics Together: The Christian Mission in the Third Millennium document, another example of evangelicals compromising of the Gospel; this begs the question: How can we share the Christian mission with people committed to the false gospel of apostate Roman Catholicism? What MacArthur says below also applies to these foolish Chrislam proponents and to those seeking common ground with the non-Christian cult of Mormonism:
[I]f they are already anti-abortion, and pornography, and homosexuality; they are going to use all of their energies within the framework of their system to go after that. We are committed to that, and we are going after that. There is already a collective movement.
Once you then sort of try to define that as “common spiritual mission” built on “common spiritual unity” you just take doctrine and throw it out the window, and perception is violated, particularly because the Catholic Church claims to be true Christianity, and when we reverse 450 years of history, and just throw our arms around the Roman system, which I think we have to say,…in all honesty, is not a group of wayward brothers but is an apostate form of Christianity.
It is a false religion, it is another religion. When you throw your arms around that you literally have to undo any doctrinal distinction. (Online source)
________________________________________________________________________________
End notes:
[1] Miroslav Volf, Allah: A Christian Response [New York: HarperOne, 2011] , 262.
[2] Phyllis Tickle, The Great Emergence: How Christianity Is Changing and Why [Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2008], 127.
Did God sin?
This video portrays why my heart grieves for these precious souls and why Mormonism and Christianity never has and never will be compatible.
Source: GodNeverSinned.com
The lie of LDS unity.
If I had a nickel for every time a Mormon cited Christendom’s presence of denominations as proof that Christianity is apostate while citing their Mormon unity as proof that they’re the one true church, I’d have . . . well, an awful lot of nickels.
Chances are, if you’ve ever engaged Mormons in a debate you too have experienced this erroneous LDS apologetics tactic. But do not feel at a loss on how to cut through this smokescreen, for below is a list posted by 4 Mormon.org citing the plethora of Mormon splits, divisions, and denominations.
______________________________________________________
MORMON SPLINTER GROUPS
Sects that broke away from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Proponents of the Salt Lake City based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (also known as LDS or Mormons) boast of the alleged “unity” of their 12 million membership. Pointing to multiple denominations of Christian churches, Mormons attribute their “unity” (i.e., uniform church structure and belief) to latter-day revelation and to additional books they regard as Scripture.
They challenge the potential convert to read and pray about the Book of Mormon in order to gain a “testimony” of the truthfulness of the book. This “testimony” (consisting of a “burning in the bosom” sensation) is alleged to be the main test for determining whether the potential convert should become a member of the LDS Church. Given the fact that over 100 splinter groups have developed on the foundation of the Prophet Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon, we question the validity of the Mormon “testimony” in solidifying the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as the sole possessor of the “restored gospel.” Since all of these movements base their authority on the Book of Mormon and the Prophet Joseph Smith, how can a “testimony” gained through praying about the Book of Mormon be sufficient to prove which church of all of these movements one should join? The following list of dissident groups is taken from the book Divergent Paths of Restoration:
FOUNDED BETWEEN 1830 AND 1844
- Pure Church of Christ, Wycam Clark, 1831
- The Independent Church, Hoton, 1832
- Church of Christ, Ezra Booth, 1836
- Church of Christ, Warren Parrish, 1837
- The Church of Jesus Christ, the Bride, The Lamb’s Wife, George M. Hinkle, 1840
- Church of Christ, Hyrum Page, 1842
- Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, F. Gladden Bishop
- True Church of Jessu Christ of Latter Day Saints, Law, Foster, Higbee, 1844
- Church of Christ, William Chubby
NON-EXTANT MOVEMENTS FOUNDED 1844-1860
- Church of Christ / Church of Jesus Christ of the Children of Zion, Sidney Rigdon, 1844
- Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, James Emmett, 1844
- Church of Christ, S. B. Stoddard, Leonard Rich, James Bump, 1845
- Indian Mormon, 1846
- Church of Christ, William McLellin, David Whitmer, 1847
- Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, William Smith, 1847
- Congregation of Jehovah’s Presbytery of Zion, Charles B. Thompson, 1848
- Church of Christ, James C. Brewster, 1848
- Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Lyman Wight, 1849
- The Bride, The Lamb’s Wife or Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Jacob Syfritt, 1850
- Church of Christ, Hazen Aldrich, 1851
EXTANT MOVEMENTS
Splinter Groups and Sub-movements of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, James J. Strang, 1844
- Church of Christ, Aaron Smith, 1846
- Church of the Messiah, George J. Adams, 1861
- Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Strangite)
- Holy Church of Jesus Christ, Alexandre R. Caffiaux
- House of Ephraim and House of Manasseh of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Jerry Sheppard
- The True Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, David L. Roberts
- Marriage Counseling Group
- Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, John J. Hajicek
- Strangite Believers in Pennsylvania
Splinter Groups and Sub-movements of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Brigham Young, 1847
- Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints or Church of the First Born, Joseph Morris, 1861
- The Prophet Cainan or Church of Jesus Christ of the Saints of the Most High God, George Williams, 1862
- Morrisite Group, John Livingston, 1864
- Church of Zion, William S. Godbe, 1868
- Church of the First Born, George S. Dove, 1874
- Priesthood Groups (Fundamentalists), 1890
- United Order of Equality, Ephraim Peterson, 1909
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Israel, J. H. Sherwood
- Order of Aaron, Maurice L. Glendenning
- Church of Freedom of Latter Day Saints, 1950s
- Zion’s Order of the Sons of Levi, Marl V. Kilgore, 1951
- The Church of the Firstborn of the Fulness of Times, Joel F. LeBaron
- The Church of the Firstborn, Ross W. LeBaron, 1955
- Perfected Church of Jesus Christ of Immaculate Latter Day Saints, William C. Conway, 1958
- Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, John Forsgren, 1960
- Church of Jesus Christ, William Goldman, 1960
- LDS Scripture Researchers/Believe God Society, Sherman Russell Lloyd, 1965
- The Church of the Body and of the Spirit of Jessu Christ, Max Powers, 1965
- United Order of the Saints of Guadeloupe, Michel Gamiette, 1966
- United Order of the Family of Christ, David E. Desmond, 1966
- Split from Zion’s Order of the Sons of Levi, Eldon Taylor, 1969
- Homosexual Church of Jesus Christ, Denver, Colorado, 1972
- Latter Day Saints Church, N.S. Park, 1972
- The Church of the Lamb of God, Ervil M. LeBaron, 1972
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Mikhail Krupenia, 1972
- The New Jerusalem Group, Kathryn Carter, 1972
- The Watchmen on the Towers of Latter Day Israel, Miltenberg, Braun, 1973
- Church of Jesus Christ in Solemn Assembly, Alexnader Joseph, 1974
- Evangelical Church of Christ, Church of the New Covenant in Christ, John W. Bryant, 1974
- Split form Zion’s Order of the Sons of Levi, Barton Kilgore, 1975
- Affirmation, 1975
- Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Robert Simons, 1975
- Church of the Firstborn of the Fulness of Times, Bruce Wakeham, 1975
- Aaronic Order Break-off, 1977
- Christ’s Church, Inc., Gerald Peterson, 1978
- Church of Jesus Christ, Art Bulla, 1978
- The Restorers or School of the Prophets, Robert C. Crossfield, 1979
- Zion’s First International Church, LeeAnn Walker, 1980
- The Free Will Mormon Church, Franklin Lee Coleman, 1980
- Church of Jesus Christ, Jorge Mora, 1981
- Sons Ahman Israel, Davied Israel, 1981
- Samoan LDS Church, New Zealand, 1981
- The Millennial Church of Jesus Christ, Leo P. Evoniuk, 1981
- Peyote Way Church of God, Immanuel P. Trujillo, 1981
- The Chruch of Jesus Christ of the Saints in Zion, Ken Asay, 1984
- Break from the Church of Jesus Christ in Solemn Assembly, 1984
- Church of Jesus Christ of All Latter-day Saints or Restoration Church of Jesus Christ, Antonio A. Feliz, 1985
- Church of Christ of Latter-day Saints, Robert P. Madison, 1985
- Church of Christ the Firstborn of the Fulness of Times, Siegfried J. Widmar, 1985
- Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Fundamentalists, Wight Family, 1985
- Mormon Fundamentalists, England, Alan and Marian Munn, 1986
- Churchof Jesus Christ Omnipotent, 1987
- Community of Zion, Central Utah Division
- Church of the First Born, General Assembly
Splinter Groups and Sub-movements of The Church of Jesus Christ, Alpheus Cutler, 1853
- Church of Jesus Christ, Clyde Fletcher, 1953
- The Restored Church of Jesus Christ, Eugene O. Walton, 1979
Splinter Groups and Sub-movements of The Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, 1851-1860
- Church of the Christian Brotherhood, Richard C. Evans, 1917
- The Church of Christ, the Order of Zion, John Zahnd, 1918
- The Church of Jesus Christ, Thomas W. Williams, 1925
- Church of Jesus Christ Restored, Stanley M. King, 1970
- New Jerusalem Church of Jesus Christ, Barney Fuller, 1975
- Church of Christ Restored, Paul Fishel, 1976
- True Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Forrest Toney, 1980
- Church of the Restoration or Churches of Christ in Zion, Robert Chambers, 1981
- Lamanite Ministries for Christ or New Covenant Ministries for Christ, 1984
- Restoration Branches Movement, 1984
- Church of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, A. Lee Abramson, 1985
- Church of Jesus Christ, Zion’s Branch, John Cato, 1986
- Church of Christ, David Clark, 1986
- Independent Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Christopher C. Warren, 1986
- Native Indian Church
Splinter Groups and Sub-movements of The Church of Jesus Christ, William Bickerton, 1862
- Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ, Allen Wright, 1907
- Primitive Church of Jesus Christ, James Caldwell, 1914
Splinter Groups and Sub-movements of Church of Christ (Temple Lot), Granville Hedrick, 1863
- Church of Christ, Independent, Informal, Frank F. Wipper, 1927
- The Church of Christ, Otto Fetting, 1929
- Church of Christ, P.A. Ely, 1929
- Church of Christ, C.W. Humphrey, 1929
- Church of Christ, Samuel Wood, E.J. Trapp, 1930
- Church of Christ (Restored), A.C. DeWolf, 1936
- Church of Christ, E. E. Long, Thomas Nerren, 1936
- Church of Christ, Paul Hilgendorf, 1942
- The Church of Christ With the Elijah Message, W. A. D. Draves, 1943
- Church of Christ, Pauline Hancock, 1946
- Antarctica Development Interests or the New American’s Mount Zion, John Leabo, 1955
- Church of Christ at Zion’s Retreat, Gerald Hall, 1973
- The Church of Israel, Dan Gayman, 1973
- Break from the Church of Christ (Hancock), Davison, Michigan, 1973
- The Church of Christ, Restored Gospel 1929, 1985
Glenn Beck’s Trojan Horse.
Last year, Mormon radio host Glenn Beck swept the conservative political movement off its feet (and many Evangelical Christians as well) with his Divine Destiny rally.
At that time (and since) many non-discerning Christians have embraced Glenn Beck as a brother in Christ and have even made excuses and justifications for his Mormon theology (a theology that’s antithetical to biblical Christianity).
But now, while Beck’s Trojan Horse sits benevolently within the walls of Evangelicalism, the trapdoor on the underbelly of the wooden horse is opening to reveal its contents . . . and it isn’t pretty.
Brannon Howse has written an article on Beck’s new book (co-authored by Keith Ablow). The book, entitled The 7 Wonders That Will Change Your Life, has revealed Beck’s New Age leanings. And judging by the quotes cited from Beck’s book, it makes Joel Osteen’s Your Best Life Now look like a doctrinally sound tome of deep Christian theology.
Below are some of the quotes from Beck’s book that I obtained from Brannon Howse’s article (you can read the entire exposé here.)
I can’t help but wonder if the Mormon organization is going to publicly renounce the New Age teachings in Beck’s book (and discipline Beck), and I wonder if the Christians who supported Beck–claiming that he was indeed a Christian–are going to retract their support (or at least distance themselves).
Page 154:
“As Keith likes to say, ‘There’s no original sin left in the world. Everyone’s just recycling pain now.'”
Page 165:
“People are inherently good.”
Page 157:
“Finding what worked for me made all the difference. Finding what works for you will do the same.”
Page 162:
“There is no infant delivered evil, out of the womb. There never has been. Not even one…Charles Manson was not born evil. Ted Bundy wasn’t. The BTK killer wasn’t. Hitler wasn’t.”
Page 149:
“Latter-day Saints do not believe that your chances ever cease, even with death. They end only with the full understanding and denial of truth by your own exercise of real free will. And even then there is no ‘lake of fire.'”
Page 149-150:
“I questioned everything I could think to question about the faith. I went over my doubts again and again with the church bishop. I read everything there was to read on their website and every word of Mormon Doctrine…I went to anti-Mormon literature for hints, but I found most of it to be unfair or just plain wrong. I tried every trick I could think of to find a contradiction. The problem was that I couldn’t. Mormonism seemed to explain the world and my place in it better than any other faith I had looked at.”
Page 132:
“Pray to whatever higher power you believe in…Praying that God or Nature or the Cosmos or your own internal, immeasurable reservoir of spirit allows you the courage and faith to find and then face the truth…”
Page 74:
“Just be sure you visit with a minister or therapist from a religion or healing discipline you actually have affinity for, or suspect you might.”
Page 57:
“The third chapter of Exodus helped me start to understand how crucial it was that my focus be on finding God not just in the seas or the cosmos, but in myself.”
Page 58:
“If God is everything and everywhere and inside everyone, then I figured He had to be inside me, too…”
Page 71:
“Divine power is still inside you.”
Page 283:
“Reach out to people to steady them and enrich them and reflect back to them the light that comes from God inside them.”
Page 254:
“You won’t doubt your ability to achieve what you want to achieve in this life because you won’t doubt that God is not only by your side, but inside you.”
Page 79:
“You have a polestar inside you. It is connected with all the energy in the universe. When you begin to follow that star you align yourself with immeasurable, inexplicable forces that will actually help you manifest your best intentions.”
Page 85:
“As you commit to unlocking and bringing forth the truth inside you, don’t be afraid to pray for help. Don’t be reticent to sit with yourself in silence and meditate. Connect with the miracle of spirit, of God, that has lived inside you from long before you were born.”
Brannon Howse also aptly observes Beck and Ablow’s common application of terms of subjective truth:
Beck’s book uses the phrase “Your truth” or “your true path” or “my truth” at least 23 times. Here are a few examples:
“It is never too late to embrace your truth.” (Page 124)
“What is your truth whispering?” (Page 130)
“Use compassion to stay on the path to your own truth… (Page 161)
“…determination to unearth and embrace my truth.” (Page 215)
“The fact that I am always attempting to honor my truth… (Page 216)
“There is only your truth.” (Page 220)
“You must use courage and faith to empty the hard drive of your soul and then fill it with your truth.” (Page 288)
Is Joseph Smith the gateway to heaven?
Absolutely amazing blasphemies from the Mormon church:“[There is] “no salvation without accepting Joseph Smith. If Joseph Smith was verily a prophet, and if he told the truth…no man can reject that testimony without incurring the most dreadful consequences, for he cannot enter the kingdom of God” -Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, vol. 1, p.190
“If we get our salvation, we shall have to pass by Joseph Smith; if we enter our glory, it will be through the authority he has received. We cannot get around him.” -1988 Melchizedek Priesthood Study Guide, p. 142, Apostle George Q. Cannon
“He that confesseth not that Jesus has come in the flesh and sent Joseph Smith with the fullness of the Gospel to this generation, is not of God, but is anti-christ.” -Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, vol. 9, p.312
“No man or woman in this dispensation will ever enter into the celestial kingdom of God without the consent of Joseph Smith…every man and woman must have the certificate of Joseph Smith, junior, as a passport to their entrance into the mansion where God and Christ are… [Joseph Smith] reigns there as supreme a being in his sphere, capacity, and calling, as God does in heaven. Many will exclaim—”Oh, that is very disagreeable! It is preposterous! We cannot bear the thought!” But it is true.” -Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, vol. 7, p.289-91
“Our entire case as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints rests on the validity of this glorious First Vision. … Nothing on which we base our doctrine, nothing we teach, nothing we live by is of greater importance than this initial declaration. I submit that if Joseph Smith talked with God the Father and His Beloved Son, then all else of which he spoke is true. This is the hinge on which turns the gate that leads to the path of salvation and eternal life.” -Gordon B. Hinckley, Ensign Mag., Nov. 1998, pp.70-71
“I tell you, Joseph holds the keys, and none of us can get into the celestial kingdom without passing by him. We have not got rid of him, but he stands there as the sentinel, holding the keys of the kingdom of God; and there are many of them beside him. I tell you, if we get past those who have mingled with us, and know us best, and have a right to know us best, probably we can pass all other sentinels as far as it is necessary, or as far as we may desire. But I tell you, the pinch will be with those that have mingled with us, stood next to us, weighed our spirits, tried us, and proven us: there will be a pinch, in my view, to get past them. The others, perhaps, will say, If brother Joseph is satisfied with you, you may pass. If it is all right with him, it is all right with me. Then if Joseph shall say to a man, or if brother Brigham say to a man, I forgive you your sins, “Whosoever sins ye remit they are remitted unto them;” if you who have suffered and felt the weight of transgression—if you have generosity enough to forgive the sinner, I will forgive him: you cannot have more generosity than I have. I have given you power to forgive sins, and when the Lord gives a gift, he does not take it back again.” -Apostle Orson Hyde, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 6, p.154-155
But what saith the eternal Word of God?
1 Timothy 2:5
For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.
John 14:6
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.
Source: MormonWiki
Mark Hofmann’s parole board letter released.
The handwritten letter by Mormon forger and bomber, Mark Hofmann, to his parole board in 1988 has finally been released.
For those not familiar with Hofmann and the great Salamander Letter controversy, here’s a synopsis:
Mark Hofmann fooled the prophets and leaders of his church in the 1980s when he began making a lucrative living by selling them forged (fake) documents that were damaging to Mormonism. These documents were purchased by the Mormon church and archived away (or destroyed) so that no one would ever see them.
(The fact that LDS prophets were so easily fooled by forgeries is telling, as well as the fact that the LDS leadership–thinking the documents were genuine–were willing to pay a lot of money to procure them from Hofmann to keep the world from seeing them. These two facts alone speak volumes about Mormonism . . . but I digress.)
Once Hofmann’s scam began to unravel he resorted to bombs. In the end, two people were killed and Hofmann was seriously injured when one of the bombs detonated prematurely.
For a more detailed examination of the incident, I highly recommend the book The Mormon Murders. It is a riveting page-turner investigated and written by two secular (non-Mormon, non-Christian) authors.
Hofmann opened his letter to the Utah parole board with this amazing statement:
“These are some of my thoughts concerning my crimes and how I became what I am. As far back as I can remember I have liked to impress people through my deceptions. In fact, some of my earliest memories are of doing magic and card tricks. Fooling people gave me a sense of power and superiority. I believe this is what led to my forging activities.”
You can read the whole letter (in PDF format) here.
For those of you who have studied early Mormon history (pre-revisionism), I am certain that you find the same irony in this quote as I did: This quote could easily be ascribed to Mormonism’s founder, Joseph Smith, and it would be just as accurate and apropos.
It’s true that the fruit never falls far from the tree.
(FILE | The Salt Lake Tribune) Mark W. Hofmann, left, and LDS Church leaders N. Eldon Tanner, Spencer W. Kimball, Marion G. Romney, Boyd K. Packer and Gordon B. Hinckley examine the Anthon transcript April 22, 1980.
Old Mormon vs New Mormon: Celestial Marriage.
DefCon presents another installment of Old Mormon vs New Mormon.
See our previous installment Old Mormon vs New Mormon: The Missouri Prophecies here.
The CRC sign truck ministry needs your help.
Below are some of the details about the Christian Research & Counsel sign truck ministry and how you can help out.
We (Gery Cuprisin and Tom Jones) are going to take the CRC SignTruck on the first of three mission trips in response to the current Mormon TV commercials running in 9 test markets around the country. From Dec 7 thru Dec 14, we will cover three of the test markets by driving the SignTruck around those cities for a full day each, sending people to the web site for eternal life-saving information. We’ll also spend some time driving around each Temple city (see map below) along the way.
You can help to make this trip successful!
We need your help in the following ways:
• Driver Volunteer to pick up WhatMormonsDontTell.com Jackets from the Logofactory in Palmyra and take them to Rochester this Friday, Saturday or Monday (drop off location to be determined). Call me (Tom) at 727-667-4112 to sign up.• Host the SignTruck missionaries for one night during our week-long trip to Florida (between Wednesday night, Dec 8 and Tuesday night Dec 14. See “Trip 1” on map below). Our only requirements will be a place for two men to sleep and shower. I’ll attach a map of the three mission trips. For now, we are concerned only with Trip 1 — but if you can look ahead to May or June, 2011, please volunteer now to host the SignTruck missionaries for one of those trips. Of course, the hosts will have to be within a reasonable driving distance of the interstate highway system along our planned route (the routes indicated on the map are simplified and do not reflect the actual highways). Call me (Tom) at 727-667-4112 to sign up.• Set up a Drive-by seminar to educate your Sunday School class, Youth Group (target group, must see!),small group, or church about the dangers of Mormonism and how to help Mormons see the spiritual trouble they are in without quarreling. If your group can meet within a reasonable distance from our basic route (see map above) we’d like to stop and conduct a two-part seminar to equip the body of Christ to warn others about Mormonism and witness effectively to Mormons. No fees charged. Donations accepted but not expected. Note the tentative dates on the map above and sign up now for Trip 1, 2, or 3 ! Call me (Tom) at 727-667-4112 for details and promo materials (poster and audio teaser announcement).• Help with a donation. Thanks to our generous supporters, we are now debt-free but have not yet raised enough funds for all three trips. Please help with a generous year-end, tax deductible gift to CRC so that we can continue planning for all three trips. Time is of the essence as this is a currently running advertising test market by the Mormon Church and, to be the most effective, we must act while the topic is still fresh on the mind of the public.• NEWS MEDIA. If you know someone with any of your local news media, or national news media for that matter, please call them and let them know what we are doing. Ask me to forward them our “Press Release”. 727-667-4112• PRAYER REQUEST. I am scheduled for hernia surgery on Dec 17 and, yet, my surgeon has consented to my going on this mission trip. Please pray that Lord will fix it for me. But, in case He decides that’s a bit too dramatic for me, pray that I can get through the week without any emergencies which would spoil my surgery plans (especially my choice of surgeons) or hamper the mission trip. Pray for Gery, too, as he will be doing all the heavy lifting during the trip. Finally, lift up all those who need to hear our message and ask for many divine appointments along the way. Pray that we will be able to focus on preaching Christ and not merely exposing Mormonism’s deceit.Thanks for whatever you can do to help!Blessings,Tom ><>Christian Research & Counsel3500 12th Ave NSt Petersburg FL 33713727-667-4112 (Cell)“Belief without proof is faith. Belief in spite of proof is folly.”
A story about a Presbyterian church, the Boyscouts, and Mormonism.
Back in September we reported on a sad co-mingling with Mormonism by a Presbyterian church (see Compromising with a cult), but today we are pleased to report of another Presbyterian church not willing to compromise with LDS, much to the chagrin of some Mormons.
Hats off to Christ Covenant Church for being one of the few churches left in America who stills sees a difference between truth and error, right and wrong, and light and darkness.
This story was first reported here in the Charlotte Observer and contained the typical appeals from Mormons for us to accept them as true Christians (citing such evidences as the name of their church and a picture of “Jesus” in their living room as proof of their Christianity). The story also has a bit of irony to it when it reports:
“Mormon Bishop Rowlan, who heads the Stokes’ Weddington church, would not say whether he would be open to naming a non-Mormon as a Scouting leader.
‘I’d have to take each one on an individual basis,’ he said, adding that that is the policy of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.”
The folks over at Mormon Coffee did a great job answering some of the remarks made in the article found on their site here, and they even went so far as to answer inevitably predictable questions here.
Of temples and bookstores.
I wouldn’t have bothered posting this video but I found the second half of it very interesting. They take a video camera into a Mormon bookstore (Deseret Books) and show us some of the items being sold. You may be surprised at what you see.
“Bible vs Joseph Smith” DVD outreach opportunity.
For those who are interested, here’s a great evangelistic opportunity from Tri-Grace Ministries:LAST CHANCE – BIBLE vs JOSEPH SMITH DVD OUTREACHDear FPW’s (Faithful Prayer Warriors),
This will be very short. Several people have contacted us about the possibility of purchasing THE BIBLE vs JOSEPH SMITH DVD at the discounted price of $1.75 ea. If you are still thinking about ordering, the time to act is NOW because we are ready to place our order.So far 46 people from all over the country (plus one from Africa) have ordered the DVD and plan to distribute over 10,000 of these DVD’s. This will surely create a ripple effect that will be felt world-wide by the LDS community.The LDS community is a tight knit, very well connected subculture. If only a few Mormons are saved as a result of this outreach, the impact will reach deep into the Mormon community. We are praying that outreach opportunities like this one will eventually become the straw that breaks the camel’s back. Not by power, nor by might, but my His Spirit!!!
We do not care how many DVDs you order – we just want to touch Mormons all across the world. So if you know any Mormons… order the DVD and drop one on their doorstep. Then pray and see what God will do.
Contact T.G.M at trigrace@gmail.com for more information or to place your order, but hurry, they will be placing this one-time large order very soon.
LDS: “But that was just his opinion.”
If you’ve ever been in a discussion with a Mormon and you’ve quoted one of their prophets or church leaders (and that quote was not favorable to their organization’s current position on any given matter), then you no doubt have received the following response:
“But that was just his opinion.”
So, is this a valid response or is this simply a dishonest retort which completely evades the issue?
Using only Mormon published materials, I will prove to you in this post that it’s the latter.
Please read the following 23 quotes very carefully.
01
We do not wish incorrect and unsound doctrines be handed down to posterity under the sanction of great names, to be received and valued by future generations as authentic and reliable . . . . Errors in history and in doctrine, if left uncorrected by us who are conversant with the events, and who are in a position to judge of the truth or falsity of the doctrines, would go to our children as though we had sanctioned and endorsed them.– Brigham Young, Millennial Star, Volume 27, Page 659, 1865
02
I have never yet preached a sermon and sent it out to the children of men, that they may not call scripture. Let me have the privilege of correcting a sermon, and it is as good Scripture as they deserve. The people have the oracles of God continually. – Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, Volume 13, Page 95
03
I will commence by saying to the Latter-day Saints and to all the inhabitants of the earth that I am responsible for the doctrine I teach; but I am not responsible for the obedience of the people to that doctrine. – Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, Volume 13, Page 1, 1869
04
I will take up my text again—I am responsible for the doctrine I teach. – Brigham Young Journal of Discourses, Volume 13, Page 4, 1869
05
Brigham Young has said “when he sends forth his discourses to the world they may call them Scripture.” I say now, when they are copied and approved by me they are as good Scripture as is couched in this Bible, and if you want to read revelation read the sayings of him who knows the mind of God. – Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, Volume 13, Page 264, 1870
06
What man or woman on the earth, what spirit in the spirit-world can say truthfully that I ever gave a wrong word of counsel, or a word of advice that could not be sanctioned by the heavens? – Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, Volume 12, Page 127, 1867
The infamous Book of Abraham.
To learn more about this subject, watch the one hour documentary The Lost Book of Abraham here for free.
Was Jonah a false prophet?
What’s one of the first things a Mormon or Jehovah’s Witness says when you point out the plethora of false prophecies uttered by their leaders?
“Well, Jonah was a false prophet!”
As if Jonah being a false prophet would somehow give their leaders license to make as many false prophecies as they desire.
But did Jonah prophesy falsely? Or is this just one more example of an attack on God’s word by those lacking even the basic understanding of proper biblical hermeneutics in an effort to drive your attention away from their respective men behind the curtains?
The following piece by Hank Hanegraaf (regardless how you feel about him) quickly, succinctly, and conclusively destroys the shallow argument that Jonah was a false prophet, and it sends those wishing to trample on Scripture (in their pursuit to justify their false leaders) back to the drawing board to search for better proof texts.
From CRI:
THE PROPHET JONAH- Introduction
You wouldn’t normally expect Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons, and skeptics to agree on much of anything. Yet all three share a similar opinion regarding, of all things, the Book of Jonah. Can you guess what it is? The CRI Perspective in a moment.THE PROPHET JONAH- False Prophet?
Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons, and skeptics all agree that Jonah uttered a false prophecy when he proclaimed, “Yet forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown” (Jonah 3:4). But, of course, Nineveh repented and was therefore not overthrown. Skeptics often refer to this as a clear example of false prophecy in the Bible. Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons claim this unfulfilled prophecy provides biblical precedent for the unfulfilled predictions of their own religious leaders. These arguments, however, are seriously flawed. Let me tell you why.THE PROPHET JONAH- First…
First of all, Jonah did not make a mistake; he said exactly what God told him to say (Jonah 3:1). The Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons, on the other hand, do not claim that their predictions were exactly what God wanted said. Even they agree that any error is the fault of men, and not God. Therefore, Jonah is irrelevant to their case. Yet they want their teachings to be regarded with the same authority as that of biblical prophets!THE PROPHET JONAH- Second…
Second, Jonah’s prophecy was not in error, because implied in the prophecy was a condition under which the predicted judgment would not take place. The Ninevites clearly understood what Jonah meant — namely, that their city would be overthrown unless they repented (Jonah 3:5-9). Since God spared Nineveh, obviously He meant the prophecy to be understood that way (Jonah 3:10). Even Jonah understood it that way, since he admitted in prayer that he knew God wanted to show mercy to the Ninevites (Jonah 4:1-2). So all of the parties involved — God, Jonah, and the Ninevites — understood that the prophecy was conditional.THE PROPHET JONAH- Finally…
The same cannot be said for the erroneous predictions made by the Jehovah’s Witnesses or by the Mormon prophets. Their predictions were never understood to be conditional at all. Thus, Jonah’s prophecy gives no comfort to the false prophets of today. Nor was it a false prediction, as the skeptics wrongly claim. In fact, I like what the Bible says: “No prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Pet. 1:21 NIV).On Jonah’s prophecy, that’s the CRI Perspective. I’m Hank Hanegraaff.
Does the Book of Mormon really contain the “fullness of the gospel?”
The following is from Rocky of Mormon Outreach as found on Facebook:
If the Book of Mormon contains the “Fulness [sic] of the Gospel” why aren’t these Mormon Doctrine essentials listed in the Book of Mormon?
1. Church organization
2. Plurality of Gods
3. Plurality of wives doctrine
4. Word of Wisdom
5. God is an exalted man
6. Celestial marriage
7. Men may become Gods
8. Three degrees of glory
9. Baptism for the dead
10. Eternal progression
11. The Aaronic Priesthood
12. Temple works of washings, anointing, endowments, sealing.If I took these 12 Mormon doctrinal points away, would I have Mormonism? Answer: No!
So, answer the question: “If the Book of Mormon contains the ‘Fulness [sic] of the Gospel’ where are these Mormon Doctrine Essentials?”
Christ Alone Wyoming 