There has been a lot talk recently about Mormonism, what with Mitt Romney's failed presidential bid. Specifically there has been a lot of talk about how the Mormon Church was really the big winner in the 2012 election. Sadly many Christian leaders in misplacing their hopes in a political candidate instead of the sovereignty of God have compromised on a proper biblical evaluation or Mormonism. Billy Grahm removed the LDS from his list of Cults and sadly his son Franklin president of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association declared that Mormonism will never again be considered a cult.
In the interest of a proper understanding of the LDS church by the body of Christ I offer the following brief history and evaluation of the LDS church.
Cult,
a definition:
“A group of people gathered about a
specific person or persons misinterpretation of the Bible.[1]
The
Church of Jesus Christ, Latter Day Saints and the Jehovah’s Witnesses are two
of the fastest growing churches in America, and have shown exponential growth
in the 20th century.[2]
The Church of Jesus Christ, Latter
Day Saints (Mormons)
Seeking to appear as a
mainstream Christian faith the Mormon Church seeks to hide its unusual beliefs
and embarrassing history.
·
Founded on April 6, 1830 by Joseph Smith
Jr.
o
Originally named Church of Jesus
Christ…renamed in 1837.
o
Currently approximately 13,000,000
members.
o
Fourth Fastest Growing church in the
U.S.
Founding
and Early History
Joseph Smith, Early
Life.
·
Born December 23, 1805 in Sharon Vermont
·
Parents were of dubious reputation and
not well liked by neighbors.[3]
·
Moved to Palmyra New York in early teen
years.
·
In 1820 while praying in the woods Smith
had a vision of God and Jesus.
o
Told him that no contemporary church was
correct in its teaching.
·
1823 Smith claims that the angel Moroni
appeared at his bedside.
The
Book of Mormon
·
1827 Smith Claims to find Golden Plates
engraved with the Book of Mormon.
o
Smith had a history as a “treasure
digger”.[4]
§ Including
the use of mystical means of finding treasure.[5]
o
The engravings on the plates were in
Reformed Egyptian hieroglyphics.
§ Egyptologists
are unanimous in declaring that there is no evidence of such language.[6]
o
Found with a large pair of
“supernatural” spectacles that enabled Smith to translate the plates.
·
Smith began translating plates
immediately with the help of itinerant scholar Oliver Cowdery.
o
Some Mormon scholars now claim that the
Book of Mormon is a conceptual
document rather than an accurate and complete translation of the plates.[7]
o
Smith claimed to know more languages
than “all the world put together.”[8]
·
Plates related the story of vast
civilization in the new world peopled by Israelites. (Who became the American
Indians.)
o
No evidence to support his claims either
archeologically or genetically.
·
Only 3 others were alleged to have
viewed the plates.
o
One, Martin Harris later claimed to have
seen them with his spiritual rather than bodily eye while the others later variously
claimed to have never seen the plates at all or to have only seen them while covered
with a cloth.[9]
o
It is widely held that the book of
Mormon rather than a translation of an ancient engraving are a plagiarism of an
unpublished work by retired Pastor Solomon Spaulding.[10]
§ Smith
dictated his translation to recording secretaries from behind a drawn curtain.[11]
§ Handwriting
analysis of an authenticated copy of an original manuscript of the translated
Book of Mormon has indicated that the handwriting is that of Solomon Spaulding.[12]
Early Church Period
·
Smith began do gather disciples AKA
saints to him in Fayette New York.
·
The church was formally organized on
April 6, 1830 and most members moved with Smith to Kirtland Ohio.
o
Practice of polygamy instituted at
Kirtland, and confirmed by a subsequent prophetic vision.[13]
·
1833 Smith publishes a collection of his
early revelations as The Book of
Commandments.
o
Later suppressed and republished in 1835
as Doctrine and Covenants.
·
After being driven by persecution from
Ohio the saints settled in Jackson county Missouri on 63 acres of land
purchased by Smith.
o
Acreage included exact spot where Smith
declared new temple where Jesus would rule would be built.
o
Armed conflict erupted between the
Mormons and other Missouri residents known as the Mormon War
§ 21
Mormons and 1 non-Mormon died.
§ Governor
Lilburn Boggs ordered Smith and his nearly 10,000 followers to leave Missouri.
·
Smith leads his followers in Illinois
and establishes city of Nauvoo.
o
Nauvoo becomes the largest city in
Illinois.
o
Nauvoo is charted as a city state and
maintains its own military force.
·
June 7, 1844 the Nauvoo Expositor
publishes its first and only edition, critical of practice of polygamy and
other immorality among Mormon Leadership.
o
Published by dissident Mormons.
o
In retaliation Smith and city council
members destroy publishing office and equipment.
·
Joseph Smith and his brother Hyman
arrested and subsequently killed in their jail cell on June 27, 1844.
The
Move to Utah
Brigham Young.
·
Born June 1, 1801 in Whitingham Vermont.
·
Joined Mormon Church in 1832.
·
Traveled to Canada and England as Mormon
missionary.
·
Ordained as apostle of Mormon Church
February 14, 1835.
·
Became Leader of Mormon church following
death of Smith.
o
Others claimed leadership including:[14]
§ Joseph
Smith III, followers known as Reorganized LDS.
§ Sidney
Rigdon, followers known as Bickertonites.
The "Saints" arrive in
Utah
·
Led by Young many
Mormons crossed the Great Plains, arriving in the Great Salt Lake Valley in
July 1847.
·
Young and his company settled in what is
now Salt Lake City Utah.
·
Belief that SLC was the new Zion
confirmed when a flock of Pelicans
ate
a swarm of locusts sparing the Mormon’s first crops in June 1848.[15]
·
Polygamy expanded in Utah (AKA Deseret).
o
Young himself had 20 wives.[16]
(See Illustration at right).
o
Polygamy rescinded by 4th
President of LDS Wilford Woodruff on September 24, 1890.
Mountain Meadows
Massacre
·
Mormons opposed the settlement of
non-Mormons in the Utah Territory.
·
In September 1857 John D. Lee and a
group of Mormons attacked a wagon train crossing the Utah Territory at Mountain
Meadows.[17]
o
Approximately 120 Settlers from Arkansas
were killed.
o
17 Surviving children were adopted by
local families.
§ Removed and reunited
with relatives by US Army forces.
o
Massacre drew national attention.
§ See
depiction on Cover of Harpers magazine at right.
o
Attack was a result of climate created
by church leadership.[18]
o
Lee believed within the will of Young
though unordered.[19]
§ Lee
excommunicated and executed on March 23, 1877.
§ Reinstated
as member posthumously in 1962.
Doctrines
of the Church
Although
claiming to be a mainstream Christian church the Mormons embrace many heretical
beliefs.[20]
·
The LDS is a restoration of the true
church and all other churches are false or in error.
·
The Book of Mormon is equal in authority
to the Bible.
·
There are many gods.
·
The god of this world (heavenly father)
was once a man.
o
The heavenly father walked the earth as
Adam.[21]
·
Jesus is not divine, but the heavenly
father’s first born spirit son.
o
Conceived by sexual union between god
and Mary.
o
Jesus is the spiritual brother of
Lucifer.
·
Humans are pre-existent being born first
as spirit beings in heaven.
·
The fall was good and necessary as it
gave Adam and Eve the ability to produce physical offspring.
·
Sin is merely wrong judgment.
·
General Salvation is merely the ability
to rise from the dead as a result of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross and is
universal.
·
Individual salvation is based on works
including pre-birth and postmortem works in spiritual realm and can result in elevation
to god status.
·
There are three kingdoms of glory.
o
Celestial…reserved for faithful Mormons
who can become gods.
o
Terrestrial…for moral non-Mormons and
lax Mormons.
o Telestial…for the immoral who must first
endure a time in hell.
·
Man can commit sins too grave to be
forgiven.[22]
·
Black and brown skinned people are
cursed and excluded from worship.
o
Reversed per prophetic revelation in
1978.
Current
state of the LDS
·
LDS still dominates the state of Utah.
·
60,000 missionaries garner 300,000
converts per year worldwide.[23]
·
The Church receives $4.3 billion dollars
a year in contributions.
·
The LDS enjoy a measure of
respectability in American Society, being admired for there strong family
values and clean living habits.[24]
·
There are numerous Mormon Splinter groups
including:
o
Fundamentalists who practice polygamy.[25]
§ 30,000+
mostly in Utah and Arizona
o
Strangites who observe Mosaic Law and
practice animal sacrifice.
§ Small
in number with most living on island in Lake Michigan.
o
Hendrickites who own ground designated
as new temple site by Joseph Smith.
In light of this information, we can confidently conclude that not only is Mormonism a cult, it is a lie from the pit of hell. Frankly I think that anyone willing to embrace mormons as brothers and sisters in Christ would do well to evaluate their own salvation. If they can't see that the Jesus of mormonism is not the Jesus of the bible, and unable to save, I have to question whether they have ever truly looked to the cross in repentance. If they can't recognize a false Christ, how can they recognize the true Christ.
Bibliography
Anderson, Roger. “Joseph Smith’s Early Reputation
Revisited Part 2.” Journal of Biblical
Counseling. Volume 4, Number 4. 1980.
.
Davies, Douglas J. An Introduction to Mormonism. Cambridge University Press. New York,
NY. 2003.
Goedelman, Kurt. “The World’s Most Dangerous Book.” Journal of Biblical
Counseling. Volume 3, Number 4. 1976.
Kirban, Salem. Mormonism;
Doctrine of Devils. Moody Press. Chicago. 1971.
Larson, Bob. Larson’s
Book of World Religions and Alternative Spirituality. Tyndale House
Publishers. Wheaton IL. 2004.
Martin, Walter. The
Kingdom of the Cults. Revised Updated and Expanded Edition. Bethany House.
Bloomington MN. 2003.
Noll, Mark A. A
History of Christianity in the United States and Canada. Eerdmans. Grand
Rapids, MI. 1992.
Rhodes, Ron. The
Challenge of the Cults and New Religions. Zondervan. Grand Rapids, MI.
2001.
Scott, Lataye Colvett. The Mormon Mirage; A Former Mormon Tells Why She Left the Church.
Zondervan. Grand Rapids, MI. 1979.
Vlachos, Chris Alex. “Adam Declared God by Brigham
Young.” Journal of Biblical Counseling. Volume 3, Number 2.
1979.
Vogel, Dan. “Is the Book of Mormon a Translation?” Journal of Biblical Counseling. Volume
5, Number 3. 1982.
Walters, Wesley. “The Spalding Affair.” Journal of Biblical Counseling. Volume
2, Number 1. 1978.
[1]
Martin 17
[2]
Noll 465
[3]
Larson 333
[4]
Martin 197
[5]
Anderson 76
[6] Larson
333
[7]
Vogel 76
[8]
Scott 41
[9]
Rhodes 55
[10]
Martin 223
[11]
Larson 335
[12] Walters
133
[13]
Martin 203
[14]
Scott 147
[15]
Martin 204
[16]
Rhodes 58
[17] Martin
206
[18]
Ibid
[19]
Ibid
[20]
Bullet points culled from Rhodes 59-68 and Kirbin 31-51 unless otherwise noted.
[21]
Vlachos 97
[22]
Davies 157
[23]
Larson 332
[24]
Ibid
[25]
Scott 148
[26]
Rhodes 78
[27] Rhodes
81
[28] Watch
Tower Society (WTS) 66
[29]
Goeldman 104
[30]
Rhodes 84
[31]
Ibid
[32]
Ibid
[33]
Rhodes 87
[34]
WTS 123
[35]
Rhodes 88
[36]
Ibid
[37]
Ibid
[38]
Ibid 89
[39]
Ibid90
[40]
Botting 144
[41]
WTS 159-171
[42]
WTS 193-197
[43]
WTS 183
[44]
Bergman 83
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