I created these videos and posted them on DefCon back in September of 2010. Since then, we’ve received many new readers to the blog that may have missed them. So I’ve decided to dust them off and re-post them here so that our new readers can see what happens when a 19th century Mormon meets a 21st century Mormon.
Enjoy!
Celestial Marriage
The Missouri Prophecies
Back in 2008, I made a cult flyer/gospel tract combo available to the readers of this blog to download for free. Since then, this flyer/tract combo has undergone refinement and is now in its fifth printing.
This flyer/tract combo was drafted as a way to inform the public about the truths of the Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons, and to provide them with the true gospel of Jesus Christ. It was originally designed to hang on doorknobs in the area where I live and was in response to the constant canvasing of neighborhoods by these two cults. But since its inception, this flyer/tract combo has also found its way into the hands of numerous people throughout America and has even found its way to the shores of Africa (with another box full currently en route to Liberia as I write this).
The cult flyer is a single tri-fold (printed on the front and back). The tract comes three to a page (printed on the front and back). Each tract fits nicely inside the cult flyer as an insert.
Please feel free to download, print, and make as many copies of each of these items as you wish to distribute as you see fit. You can even put your church name, website, or other personal information on them to help in your evangelistic contacts if you so desire.
I recently finished Jon Krakauer’s book, Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith. I found the book to be very revealing of early Mormon history (much of the stuff modern day Mormons prefer you didn’t know about). Namely this book tackled Mormonism’s twin doctrines of polygamy and Blood Atonement (and detailing the hellish results those unbiblical doctrines wrought on Mormons and non-Mormons alike).
Although this work was a scathing revelation of Mormonism’s twisted and violent history, I could not help but detect the author’s occasional sympathetic bent toward Joseph Smith and the Mormon organization as a whole.
Sympathy or poor research in some instances (I am not certain which), but one example of less-than accurate reporting is when Krakauer said that when Joseph Smith fired his gun at the angry mob (the gun that was smuggled into the Carthage jail), he wounded “at least one.”
However, Mormonism’s own History of the Church cites that Jospeh Smith actually “snapped the pistol six successive times; only three of the barrels, however, were discharged. I afterwards understood that two or three were wounded by these discharges, two of whom, I am informed, died.”
I must say that there’s a chasm of difference between “wounding at least one” and “two or three were wounded . . . two of whom . . . died.”
Another instance in the book where the author would have done well to have done better research is when he writes that Calvinists teach that God is “bent on making humans atone for Adam’s original sin.”
If Krakauer did his homework he would have known that that is not the historic Calvinist position (and never has been). Calvinism teaches that God’s Son (and Him alone) is the only One able to atone for mankind’s sin that was inherited through Adam and for the sins man commits daily. It is actually the belief of Mormonism (and Roman Catholics, and Jehovah’s Witnesses, and Seventh Day Adventists, and Muslims, etc.) that man can atone for or add to Christ’s atoning work on the cross; and this in direct opposition to Galatians 5:4.
In all, although the author was incorrect on a few points, I found the book to be a fascinating look into both the mainstream LDS organization (the one’s who broke away from the original teachings of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young) and the varios fundamental LDS organizations (the one’s who still follow the original teachings of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young) with the Lafferty brothers’ murder of Erica Lafferty and her baby, Erica, on July 24, 1984, as the back drop of the book.
The book, although containing a critical overtone toward all religion, horrifyingly exposes the results of following Joseph Smith and Brigham Young’s teachings faithfully, showing that Mormonism (much like Islam) is a violent religion full of lies, deception, adultery, sexual immorality, and forever marked by the bloodshed of innocent men, women, and children.
The following article from the Mormonism Research Ministry was written by Bill McKeever:
“The events leading to the death of Mormon founder Joseph Smith are much like the events surrounding his life—full of contradiction. To hear Mormons tell the story, Smith did no wrong; for others, he did no right. Like most stories, the truth lies somewhere in the middle.”
Continue reading here.
This was a well done piece on Mormonism by the BBC.
Although the impetus for the documentary was presidential candidate Mitt Romney, this video uses his potential presidency as a springboard to delve into Mormonism’s seedy underbelly (unfortunately they never mention such morsels as Mormonism’s racism and blasphemous doctrines like Blood Atonement, paying for your own sins in Hell, and their god having physical relations with Mary to conceive Jesus . . . just to name a few).
While some professing Christians are busy blurring the lines between Christianity and Mormonism (see here and here for example), at least the secular media isn’t being hoodwinked by Mormonism’s slick PR campaign.
Case in point: The following video that aired on MSNBC. I do not know who Lawrence O’Donnell is, but hats off to him for his courage to peel back the facade of Mormonism on national television.
And in the event that the inevitable Mormon apologist comes along and attempts to obfuscate Mormonism’s long history of racism with that was just Brigham Young’s opinion, or the LDS church never taught that, or this was an isolated remark taken out of context, or the myriad of other lies used to hide Mormonism’s history, I simply direct your attention to this post where many more racist quotes from Mormon leaders can be read.
vs
Christian apologist Walter Martin takes on Mormon apologist Van Hale in a debate entitled Is Mormonism Christian? It is another fine job by Walter Martin in defending the faith from those who would seek to pervert it.
Years after this debate, Van Hale publicly announced (in 2005) that he cannot accept the Book of Mormon as real history about real people (see here). I’m not sure if his debate with Dr. Martin helped bring him to that point, but it is an interesting piece of history.
You can download all three parts of this debate here:
Is Mormonism Christian? (Part One)
Is Mormonism Christian? (Part Two)
Is Mormonism Christian? (Part Three)
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Check out another great debate between Walter Martin and anti-theist Madalyn Murray O’Hair here.
You’ve enjoyed Ten (very) quick questions for Mormons, Ten more (very) quick questions for Mormons, and Another ten (very) quick questions for Mormons. DefCon now brings you ten more questions from Keith Walker of Evidence Ministries.
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The following is a great chart from 20 Truths About Mormonism showing the “similarities between the Book of Mormon and View of the Hebrews as summarized by [Mormon] Elder B. H. Roberts.”
This is a followup to Where Have I Read that Before?
| Book of Mormon | View of the Hebrews |
| Gives an Israelitish origin of the American Indian. | Pleads for an Israelitish origin of the American Indian on every page. |
| Deals with the destruction of Jerusalem and the scattering of Israel. | Deals with the destruction of Jerusalem and the scattering of Israel. |
| Deals with the future gathering of Israel and the restoration of the ten tribes. | Deals with the future gathering of Israel and the restoration of the ten tribes. |
| Emphasizes and uses much of the material from the prophecies of Isaiah, including whole chapters. | Emphasizes and uses much of the material from the prophecies of Isaiah, including whole chapters. |
| Makes a special appeal to the Gentiles of the New World–esp. the people of the United States to become nursing fathers and mothers unto Israel in the New World, holding out great promises to the great Gentile nation that shall occupy America, if it acquiesces in the divine program. | Makes a special appeal to the Gentiles of the New World–esp. the people of the United States to become nursing fathers and mothers unto Israel in the New World, holding out great promises to the great Gentile nation that shall occupy America, if it acquiesces in the divine program. |
| The peopling of the New World was by migrations from the Old World. | The peopling of the New World was by migrations from the Old World. |
| Migrating Jaredites are taken into “that quarter where there never had man been”. | Its migrating people are taken into a country where “never man dwelt”. |
| The colony enters into a valley of a great river. Peoples journeyed northward and encountered “seas” of “many waters” in the course of their long journey. The motive of their journey was religious. Ether is prominently connected with recording the matter. | The colony enters into a valley of a great river. Peoples journeyed northward and encountered “seas of many waters” in the course of their long journey. The motive of their journey was religious. Ethan is prominently connected with recording the matter. |
| Nephites divide into two classes, the one civilized, the other followed a wild hunting and indolent lifestyle that ultimately led to barbarism. | The lost tribes divide into two classes, the one fostering the arts that make for civilization, the other followed a wild hunting and indolent lifestyle that ultimately led to barbarism. |
| Long and dismal wars break out between the Nephites and Lamanites. | Long and dismal wars break out between the civilized and barbarous divisions of people. |
| The Lamanites utterly exterminate the Nephites. (The same thing occurs with the Jaredite peoples in the exact place the Nephites would later be exterminated). | The savage division utterly exterminates the civilized one. |
| Civilized people develop a culture of mechanic arts; of written language; of the knowledge and use of iron and other metals; and of navigation. | Civilized people develop a culture of mechanic arts; of written language; of the knowledge and use of iron and other metals; and of navigation. |
| Unity of race–the Hebrew race and no other is assumed for the inhabitants of ancient America. | Unity of race–the Hebrew race, and no other is assumed for the inhabitants of ancient America. |
| Book of Mormon peoples are assumed to occupy the whole extent of the American continents. | With the possible exception of the Eskimos of the extreme north, this race of Hebrew peoples occupied the whole extent of the American continents. |
| The original language of the people was Hebrew. | The Indian tongue had one source–the Hebrew. |
| Joseph Smith used an instrument in translating the Book of Mormon called Urim and Thummim which he described as two stones and a breastplate. | View of the Hebrews describes an instrument among the mound finds comprising a breast plate with two white buckhorn buttons attached, “in imitation of the precious stones of the Urim.” |
| Admits the existence of idolatry and human sacrifice. | Admits the existence of idolatry and human sacrifice. |
| Prophets extol generosity to the poor and denounce pride as a trait of the people. Polygamy is denounced under certain conditions as in the practices of David and Solomon. | Generosity to the poor is extolled and pride is denounced as a trait of the American Indian. Polygamy is denounced |
| Lost sacred records would be restored to the Lamanites along with the return of their lost favor with God in the last days. | Indian traditions of a “Lost Book of God” and the promise of its restoration to the Indians, with a return of their lost favor with the Great Spirit are quoted. |
| Sacred records were hidden or buried by Moroni, a character that corresponds to this Indian tradition in the Hill Cumorah. | Ethan Smith’s sacred book was buried with some “high priest,” “keeper of the sacred tradition.” |
| Reports of extensive military fortifications erected throughout large areas with military “watch towers” here and there overlooking them. | Reports of extensive military fortifications linking cities together over wide areas of Ohio and Mississippi valleys, with military “watch towers” overlooking them. |
| Reports of prayer or sacred towers. | Describes sacred towers or “high places,” in some instances devoted to true worship, in other cases to idolatrous practices. |
| Some Book of Mormon people effect a change from monarchial governments to republican forms of government. | Part of Ethan Smith’s ancient inhabitants effect a change from monarchial governments to republican forms of government. |
| Civil and ecclesiastical powers are united in the same person in Book of Mormon republican people. | Civil and ecclesiastical powers are united in the same person in Ethan Smith’s republics. |
| Lehi, first of Nephite prophets taught the existence of a necessary opposition in all things–righteousness opposed to wickedness–good to bad; life to death, and so following. | Some of Ethan Smith’s peoples believed in the constant struggle between the good and the bad principle by which the world is governed. |
| The gospel was clearly preached among the ancient inhabitants of Americas. | Ethan Smith’s book speaks of the gospel having been preached in the ancient America. |
| The Book of Mormon brings the risen Messiah to the New World, gives him a ministry, disciples and a church | Ethan Smith’s book gives, in considerable detail, the story of the Mexican culture-hero Quetzalcoatl–who in so many things is reminiscent of the Christ. |
They conclude this list with the following quote from Mormon apologist, historian, and member of the LDS general authority, B.H. Roberts, from his work Studies of the Book of Mormon, (University of Illinois Press, 1985, p. 242):
“Can such numerous and startling points of resemblance and suggestive contact be merely coincidence?”
And 20 Truths About Mormonism also reveals:
“Joseph even appears to have plagiarized his father. For many years his mother cherished the details of several of her husband’s dreams, and one of these was incorporated wholesale into the Book of Mormon as a vision by Lehi, the father of Nephi.”
| The Vision of Lehi (Book of Mormon (1830), pp. 18-20) |
Dream of Joseph Smith, Sr. (Lucy Smith: Biographical Sketches, pp. 58-59) |
| …me thought I saw a dark and dreary wilderness… | I thought I was traveling in an open and desolate field, which appeared very barren… |
| I beheld a tree, whose fruit was desirable, to make one happy…most sweet, above all that I ever had before tasted…I began to be desirous that my family should partake of it also… | …a tree, such as I had never seen before…I found it delicious beyond description. As I was eating, I said in my heart, “I cannot eat this alone, I must bring my wife and children.”… |
| And I beheld a rod of iron; and it extended along the bank of the river, and led to the tree… | I beheld a beautiful stream of water, which ran from the east to the west…I could see a rope running along the bank of it… |
| …a great and spacious building…filled with people, both old and young, both male and female; and their manner of dress was exceeding fine, and they were in the attitude of mocking and pointing their fingers towards those which had come at, and were partaking of the fruit. | I beheld a spacious building…filled with people, who were very finely dressed. When these people observed us in the low valley, under the tree, they pointed the finger of scorn at us. |
The origin of the Book of Mormon is a fascinating subject as there is clear evidence that its source was not divine, but was actually conjured up in the imagination of Joseph Smith, inspired by similar stories circulating around his time.
It’s precisely because the Book of Mormon was drafted by Joseph Smith (a “poor farm boy” as Mormons like to refer to him) and not divinely inspired, that we’re not surprised to see the almost 4,000 changes, alterations, and corrections to the Book of Mormon since its first publication.
And it doesn’t shock us that many parts of the Book of Mormon are simply plagiarisms from the King James Version of the Bible, including the use of King James English long before there was King James English (just one of the many anachronisms found in the Book of Mormon).
And we’re not stunned that absolutely none of the huge cities and civilizations described in the Book of Mormon have ever been found.
And we’re not astounded that there’s no historical, archeological, or anthropological support for the claims of the Book of Mormon.
And we aren’t astonished that DNA science has actually proven the claims of the Book of Mormon to be false.
And we aren’t beside ourselves that there’s not even one ancient manuscript to support the validity of the Book of Mormon (like the over 25,000 ancient manuscripts that support the Bible).
These are some of the many problems that we’d expect to see from a book created by finite man, not from an inspired work by an infinite God.
So where did this “poor farm boy” get his ideas and inspiration for the Book of Mormon?
The following is an interesting article from an unlikely source.
What most LDS have been taught in church and believe as truth.
The name of the angel that visited Joseph Smith three times on the night of Sept. 21, 1823 was named Moroni. The name of the angel is mentioned several times in many LDS publications and he has always been referred to as Moroni.
Significant details & problems that most LDS are not aware of.
This angel is the one who told Joseph Smith where the gold plates were buried and can be seen on top of most LDS temples. However, a close examination of early church history tells a different story. Some early LDS sources which say that the angel’s name was actually Nephi are as follows:
Keep reading here.
I recently published an article on one of Mormonism’s wild claims about big, black, hairy Cain still roaming the earth in the post Mormon Prophet Lends Credibility to a Wild Claim. And, of course, the first response that post received from a Mormon apologist was:
The real shame is that it is simply a waste of time as no self-respecting person would really care enough to take the time to right [sic] about such meaningless prattle. Such a pity.
This was an interesting response considering the fact that it was important enough to Mormon President Spencer W. Kimball to write about it in his book The Miracle of Forgiveness. Evidently it’s only prattle when a non-Mormon discusses the matter.
And apparently one Mormon didn’t get the memo because he’s still talking (and writing) about the Cain/Bigfoot (and racism) matter. Blogger Doug Gibson has risked not being self-respecting because he’s been wasting his time by writing about such prattle when he recently published the post Awareness of Racism Eased Mormon Folk Tales Regarding Cain, Bigfoot. According to Gibson’s article, President Kimball wasn’t the only one in Mormon history to report claims of Cain/Bigfoot sightings.
Although some Mormon apologists would have you ignore such “prattle,” I highly encourage you to read Gibson’s article. And be sure to read all the enlightening comments afterward, like this sample from a commenter named Mikeasell:
Here is the deal: the church likes to teach what they call unchanged, revealed doctrine. When said doctrine becomes unpopular and threatens the church financially, the doctrine gets downgraded quickly to a “teaching” or a “guideline”, then a further downgrade to a “practice”, it is then removed from manuals and books (hence why people of different generations heard or did not hear the stories). Then the practice can simply be “discontinued”. They begin with the Lord has said X because Y is a true principle, live by it or go to hell, then they begin saying well we have been taught in the past that X=Y, then they begin with the “we don’t understand, but we are sure there is a mysterious purpose as to X is somewhat related to Y, but it is not for us to question the Lord”, then the blatant downgrade: we no longer “practice X, X practice has been discontinued, it is not really tied with Y”.
The reality is that the LDS church had inclusion criteria based on race. When it became apparent that the NCAA would allow teams like Stanford to avoid playing BYU and therefore the Church was having their non-profit status reviewed by the IRS, then suddenly (within a month) God changed his mind. Same with polygamy, it went from we will die before we give it up, we will break the law cuz God is a higher law, to sending ppl to Mexico to practice it to eventually pretending it really did not happen for that long or that it was because it was just a trial, there were too many men, etc. . . . .It is amazing to me, shocking really, that people are gullible enough to believe that a never changing restored gospel needs changing all the time, and surprisingly to accommodate cultural pressures. I cannot believe that people that believe in prophets can also believe that those prophets can not agree on basic doctrine, to the point that Joseph Smith, if he were to come back, would be excommunicated from the church he founded because of his beliefs and practices.
You hear Mormons say it all the time whenever you challenge any of their doctrines: “We never attack other faiths.” Or, “We never disparage other religions.” Or, “We’re too busy sharing the gospel to be negative about other people’s beliefs.”
For those who know better, these words are usually uttered out of either a profound ignorance of their own religion or a desperate attempt to get you off topic and put you on the defensive.
It is a fact that Mormonism has attacked, disparaged, ridiculed, and spoken negatively about the Christian faith (anyone who knows Mormon history knows this; it’s not even debatable).
The very Mormon organization is founded on a preemptive attack of Christianity. Mormonism’s founder, Joseph Smith, claimed that all of Christianity was apostate. Without his assault on the Christian faith, the impetus for Joseph Smith’s religion is removed and there would be no need for Mormonism.
Simply put, Mormonism’s very existence is predicated on the lie that Christianity is apostate, the Bible is mistranslated, Christ’s sacrifice was insufficient, and “The Christian God is the Mormon’s Devil.”
And other early Mormon leaders were not shy with divulging their disdain for our faith. See this article to read some of the mean, nasty and downright hateful things uttered about Christians by Mormon prophets, leaders, and apologists.
And inevitably there will be Mormons who claim, “We don’t teach that anymore” as if truth one day is a non-truth the next (and notice that they rarely ever say, “We don’t BELIEVE that anymore“). If they were honest they’d say, “We’re just more subtle about it now.”
The below video from the June 2011 Manti Pageant reveals that the well-hidden derogatory sentiment against Christians by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (and some not so hidden) is still alive and well.
Thanks to Mormon Coffee for posting the video and astutely observing:
In this short clip, the Mormon Church pageant makes fun of the Christian doctrines pertaining to the nature of God and eternal punishment, portrays Christian pastors as being unwilling or unable to answer the most basic of life’s questions, and misrepresents the “fervor of religious revival” with “the exhortations of contending preachers, each proclaiming his own church the only avenue of escape from the horrors of a burning hell.” The narrator jeers, “Amen, Hallelujah”; one of three pontificating preachers drones, “It is only here that you will find salvation. Only here,” while churchgoers dismiss the play’s sincere truth-seekers, Mary and Robert, with an annoyed sweep of their arms.
Is Mormon presidential candidate Mitt Romney pro-life or pro-abortion? I often hear that Christians are willing to vote for him because he “shares their values,” and being pro-life is one of those values often cited. But is he really?
In the following video Mitt Romney makes his pro-abortion position very clear, so those expecting to vote for him because he’s pro-life may need to find another reason to do so.
And then there’s this whopper of a video in which for five minutes Romney defends his pro-abortion position, distancing himself from those nasty rumors that he might be pro-life.
At 4:22 seconds into the video Mitt Romney unequivocally decalres:
“I do not take the position of a pro-life candidate. I am in favor of preserving and protecting a woman’s right to choose”
But he’s changed, some may say. Has he? He’s now pro-life, some may say. Is he?
These final two videos reveal why it’s hard to determine Mitt Romney’s actual stance on the murder of unborn children because he flip-flops back and forth on the issue
I have to wonder if double-mindedness, pandering, and deception are just some of the character traits Christians voting for Romney consider to be their “shared values.”
Oh, what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to vote for the lesser of two evils.
I recently read a piece entitled A Vote For Romney is a Vote for the LDS Church written by Warren C. Smith (not to be confused with the Warren Smith who exposed Rick Warren’s New Age agenda and ties to Robert Schuller in his book Deceived on Purpose).
Here’s a quote from the thought-provoking article that–for the record–I completely agree with:
“To elect a Mormon President is to advance the cause of the Mormon Church. Non-Christians likely don’t care much about this point one way or the other. But for the Christian, this is a vital issue. . . . The validation of the false religion of Mormonism would almost certainly have the effect of leading many astray. Evangelical Christians should have no part of that effort. . . . A Romney presidency would have the effect of actively promoting a false religion in the world. If you have any regard for the Gospel of Christ, you should care. A false religion should not prosper with the support of Christians. The salvation of souls is at stake.”
A wonderful series of testimonies from those who turned from the “Jesus” of Mormonism to the true Jesus revealed in Scripture.
It’s amazing what happened to these former Mormons when they actually read their Bibles.
Source: Sacred Groves
We’ve all experienced how Mormon apologists play the victim card anytime the truth about their organization and prophets are revealed:
“You’re picking on us.”
“You’re just anti-Mormon.”
“We never attack anyone’s faith like you do.”
“We have better things to do than attack other people’s faith like you.”
Well, apparently some Christian evangelists have taken these LDS accusations (as false as they are) to heart and have “cleverly” decided to tackle the soul-damning errors of this false religious system with a new and much more soft, cuddly, warm, and fuzzy approach.
Although this hug-evangelism is in retaliation to certain street preachers who they think are too mean, the “hugs not thugs” campaign is completely devoid of the gospel. Read more about this at Evidence Ministries
Dear Mormon, can you guess who said the following?
1).
I saw two spirits… One was God my maker, almost in bodily shape like a man… below him stood Jesus Christ my Redeemer, in perfect shape like a man…
2).
. . . the angel had made known to me in the vision, that all Churches and Denominations on the earth had became corrupt . . .
3).
He also told me, that every denomination of professing Christians had become extremely corrupt . . .
Answers:
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:
Christ Alone Wyoming 