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WE’RE CHRISTIANS TOO by LetUsReason.org
The state of Utah is known to be a majority of Mormons, where around 70% of the population and 95% of the legislature claims to be LDS. (Las Vegas Review Journal, 3/6/88, p. 6c).
The Mormon state is not without their problems. The suicide rate of the elderly (age 75+) for the nation is 19.2 per 100,000. For Utah it is 57 per 100,000, surpassed only by Nevada. (Deseret News, 12/29-30/86, p.2B).
70% of Salt Lake County’s high school seniors and 35% of the 5th and 6th graders used alcohol. 4% of the 5th and 6th graders have used heroin and cocaine. (The Salt Lake Tribune, Jan. 21, 1990, p.B9). “Utahns… lead the nation in the use of prescription drugs…,” (Salt Lake Tribune April 1, 1989 p. E3). The American Medical Association reported in 1986 that Utah ranked 3rd in the nation in the use of Amphetamines and jumped to 2nd in 1988. (Salt Lake Tribune, 8/31/89, p.B1).
“Sexual harassment in Utah is high for its population when compared to other states.” (Vernal Express, Nov. 13, 1991) Rape increased 30% between 1989 and 1990, the 3rd highest increase in the nation (The Washington Post, March 22, 1991, p. A3). Utah’s prisons rank fourth in the nation in prison population increase. (Provo Herald, May 24, 1990).”…the increase in premarital sex has been greater among Mormon women than any other religious group.” (Provo Hearld, 8/9/91, p.B3)
“Statewide, 4,218 children were born out of wedlock for a rate of 117 per thousand live births. 50% of all Utah births are to teenage girls. 7 out of 10 of these are illegitimate.” (Dallas Morning News, 7/26/83; Salt Lake Tribune, 11/20/81, p.B9; Ogden Standard Examiner, 12/15/79). In 1978, 70% of Utah’s teenage brides were pregnant at their weddings. (Sonia From Housewife to Heretic, Johnson, Garden City, New York, Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1981).
Consequently it has been reported “Salt Lake County’s divorce rate is almost 50 percent higher than the national average.” (Salt Lake Tribune, Jan. 11, 1990 p.1-E). The increase in martial instability among Mormons is higher than for most other religious groups. (Dialogue, Fall 1992, p. 26-27, a LDS pub.). “Utah’s divorce rate is 5.4 per 1,000 persons, compared to 4.8 nationally.” (Latter Day Sentinel, 3/5/88, p.24).
The Utah murder rate for children is 5 times higher than the national average. (The Denver Post, Empire Magazine, 11/21/82, p.30). “The State Division of Family Services reported a 343 percent increase in child sexual abuse referrals from 1982 through 1987,”(KSL Radio, Salt Lake City, May 18, 1989, p.1 transcript).
Granted there are many problems with all religions. As people we are not exempt. but for a state that is almost completely Mormon this is not advantageous for those who claim to have wonderful family values. It appears it is not working for them. But his does not stop them from having an enormous missionary effort that comes to your door and mine presenting the clean wonderful life of Mormons.
They currently have about 58,000 missionaries going to peoples doors in 110 nations teaching in 69 languages. There are currently 53,000 LDS members in the Hawaiian Islands that is 1/10 The the adult population of this Island alone. Although there might be as much as 5% that are inactive never leaving the church officially. This is something they ask people to do even if they disagree giving them time to reconsider and of course keep them in their membership books.
Their growth has continued steadily upward here in the US, and experiencing phenomenal growth in 3rd world and non English speaking countries. In the Philippines membership has gone from 43,000 to 280,000 in Mexico 248,000 to 670,000 in Brazil it went from 99,000 to 400,000. (Elkinton manager of management information center, Beehive newspaper, may 1993 p.3)
Despite all that is on paper , reality is not as wonderful as in print. In 1988, they had a missionary force of 36,123, the church registering 256,515 convert baptisms. But 10 years later, in 1998, with a missionary force of 57,853 it only baptised 299,134 converts. Which is an increase of only 16 percent in the number of converts in the face of its missionary force boasting a sizeable 60-percent growth.
Their estimates are 12 million members by the year 2,000, 35 million by 2020, and 157 million by middle of the next cent. (the beehive). I would think they could reach these numbers by their own family’s alone. Remember it is requirement to have as many children as possible for the celestial kingdom.
Someone joins this church every minute and 55 seconds. Who sat down to calculate those figures ? (Larry Elkinton Beehive Newspaper, may 1993) But the truth is they have trouble keeping the converts. While the church releases impressive growth statistics, they are misleading. Yet even if they are half of what they say it is one too many.
Although efforts from the true historic Church of Jesus have stepped up. there is more information now than there has ever been on what Mormonism really teaches and practices. They still are converting mass numbers, and they coming from the Christian denominations.
Believe it or not half the new converts are from Christian denominations 100,000 from Baptists each year, next in line are Catholic’s, then Presbyterians, very few Jewish people enter for good reason. The pluralistic teaching of God. The Church’s major audience is not to unbelievers but among Christian believers. They come to remove the ungrounded, those who are nominal or new.
Maybe you have noticed their change of advertisements on TV, Instead of putting the book of Mormon next to the bible as another testament, they now just advertise the Bible so they can come to your house as being representatives of Christianity. Recently the LDS Church has carried its bait and switch campaign to new heights. The New television ads offer listeners a free copy of a King James Bible. This too will be hand-delivered simply by calling a toll-free number.
When the missionaries come to your door they don’t tell people about their real view of the bible that its corrupted.
What they also don’t tell people is what the Mormon leaders and the Mormon Scriptures actually say? And for good reason, most who read the bible would throw them right out. You see they want to be accepted today as Christians without adhering to any Christian doctrine. Instead they want to replace it all with new revelation from their modern prophets.
In its general public statements about the Bible today The Mormon Church cites its own Articles of Faith, found in its Scripture, the Pearl of Great Price. We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly;… (Articles of Faith, #8) When it comes down to it, the bible is never translated right. If there is a choice between what their book says and Gods Holy word, there’s not much guesswork which will be chosen.
The Mormons most reliable way to measure the accuracy of any biblical passage is not by comparing different texts, but by comparison with the Book of Mormon and modern-day revelations. (Church News, June 20, 1992, page 3, a letter from the First Presidency (Presidents Benson, Hinckley, and Monson) dated May 22, 1992, to all members of the Church)
So instead of using the Bible to appraise Mormonism they reverse this and use Mormonism (the book of Mormon) to judge the Bible. When speaking honestly, Mormon leaders view the Book of Mormon as more reliable than the Bible because of its inferiority.
” Unlike the Bible, which passed through generations of copyists, translators, and corrupt religionists who tampered with the text, the Book of Mormon came from writer to reader in just one inspired step of translation. (“The Keystone of Our Religion”, Ensign, by President Ezra Taft Benson, January 1992, page 5).
I [Joseph Smith] believe the Bible as it read when it came from the pen of the original writers. Ignorant translators, careless transcribers, or designing and corrupt priests have committed many errors. (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p.327) Mr. Smith wrote his own translation to correct the errors, not by looking at the manuscripts, but by his own subjective leading which he thought was God.
The Book of Mormon itself claims important parts of the Bible have been removed such as the gospel. That it was needed to restore the full and true gospel.
…It was after a conference in Amherst, Ohio, February 16, 1832, that Joseph said it was apparent to him, “from sundry revelations which had been received, “that “many important points touching the salvation of man had been taken from the Bible, or lost before it was compiled.” (Preface to D&C 76.)
But if the book of Mormon is the fullness of the gospel as claimed then why are there so many other essential doctrines for salvation found outside it , in their other books?
God
“…orthodox Christian views of God are Pagan rather than Christian.” (Mormon Doctrine of Deity by B.H. Roberts, p.116)
“…the God whom the ‘Christians’ worship is a being of their own creation…” (Apostle Charles W. Penrose, JD 23:243)
How anyone can say these things and publish them with a straight face is beyond me. The pagan concept is multiple Gods exactly what they believe, also they have in their writings that Adam was God and god was once a man who progressed to be god and that is the God they worship, that is worshipping a god of their own creation , god made in the image of man, a creature who is not god at all.
When a Mormon speaks about the Gospel it is not the Christian Gospel but the restored one of J. Smith, you can join the Mormon church and not believe Jesus is the Son of God but you cannot join unless you accept J. Smith as a prophet of God. “If we ask who will stand at the head of the resurrection in this last dispensation, the answer is-Joseph Smith, junior, the prophet of God. He is the man who will be resurrected and receive the keys of the resurrection, and he will seal this authority upon others, they will hunt up their friends and resurrect them.” (Discourses of Brigham young p.116)
[Joseph Smith speaking] I have more to boast of than any man ever had. I am the only man that has ever been able to keep a whole church together since the days of Adam. A large majority of the whole have stood by me. Neither Paul, John, Peter nor Jesus ever did it. I boast that no man ever did such a work as I. The followers of Jesus ran away from him; but the Latter-day Saints never ran away from me yet. (HOTC, vol.6, p.78. Joseph Smith, History of the Church, Volume 6, Page 408-409) Not true many have ran away just not the whole church, yet.
“If it had not been for Joseph Smith and the restoration, there would be no salvation, There is no salvation outside the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.”(Bruce R.McConkie Mormon doctrine p.670)
Bible teaches there is no salvation outside the person and work of Jesus Christ. Its not membership in the Church that saves.
“If we get our salvation, we shall have to pass by him, if we enter our glory, it will be through the authority he has received. We cannot get around him” (Pres. George Q. Cannon 1988 melchezedik guide p.142)
I have read the Bible a number of times and have not found Mr. Smiths name in it. Can you help me find it? What makes him more important than all the apostles, sounds like the sainthood or the primacy of Peter in the Catholic church.
“….and 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.” (J & D vol.9 p.312) Here they change the Bibles words and definition of 1 Jn.4:1, this is blatant and intentional.
God so loved, that he made provision for a 2nd chance and all will receive that opportunity.
Elder and apostle of The Church Bruce R. McConkie, called the doctrine of salvation by grace without works, “the second greatest heresy” of Christianity during Brigham Young University’s opening devotional Tuesday. The first great heresy, he said, pertains to the nature of God, the doctrine of the trinity” (Staff Report, The Herald, Provo Utah, 1/12/1984)
The nature of god in Christianity and the persons involved also have to do with salvation.
For Salvation, the Mormon church has always upheld mans own obedience merits him right standing with God, whoever that god is, I still haven’t figured out which one (since Brigham young said it was Adam). The Gospel of Mormonism is “faith, repentance, baptism, receiving the Holy Spirit by the laying on of hands, morality, loyalty, tithing, word of wisdom, duty, celestial marriage (Articles of faith).
They try to sound Christian to replace what has been here for 2,000 years they consistently attack Christianity but are repulsed when we defend ourselves by showing them their own quotes. “What does the Christian world know about God? Nothing…Why so far as the things of God are concerned, they are the veriest fools; they know neither God nor the things of God.” (John Taylor, JD 13:225)
Or when we are called by them”…the great apostate church as the anti-christ…This great antichrist…is the church of the devil.” (Apostle Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine p.40)
“After the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was organized, there were only two churches upon the earth. They were known respectively as the Church of the Lamb of God and Babylon. The various organizations which are called churches throughout Christendom, though differing in their creeds and organizations, have one common origin. They belong to Babylon.” (George Q. Cannon, Gospel Truth, p.324)
Despite this accusing of Gods church they want to be called Christian. to do this they have made some changes. They have changed the church’s logo featuring “JESUS CHRIST” in large, uppercase type, and the rest of the movement’s naive in smaller type.( designed in 1995 by a secular marketing firm.)
James Talmage, who many considered Mormonism’s greatest theologian, explained Jesus’ atoning work on the cross. Talmage wrote, “We believe that through the sufferings, death and atonement of Jesus Christ all mankind, without one exception, are to be completely and fully redeemed… [of] Adam’s transgression…” (Articles of Faith, p. 477).
Thus, the atonement and death of Jesus on the cross actually only forgives mankind of Adam’s original sin (which they do not believe in). How then is man forgiven of his own personal sin? In the Improvement Era, an official periodical of the LDS Church, Joseph Fielding Smith, tenth prophet, explained the solution. “Our Eternal Father would have every soul saved if that were feasible. Salvation, however, is based on merit and obedience to divine law and therefore is only obtained through compliance with divine commandments” (Nov. 1965, p. 962).
“Men have work to do if they would obtain salvation” (Doctrines of salvation vol.3 p.91)
“Individual (salvation) that which man merits through his own acts through life and by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.” (Doctrines of salvation vol.1 p.134)
The forsaking of sin must be a permanent one. True repentance does NOT permit making the same mistake again (Spencer W. Kimball, Repentance Brings Forgiveness, Page 7)
“We also have to forsake the sin and never to repeat it not even in our minds, in order to remain forgiven we must never commit the sin again (Mormon Missionary Discussion F, Uniform systems for teaching families p.35-36)
11 Nephi 25:23 says that in order to be saved you must do all that you can do. Are you doing all that you can do? Have you repeated your sin? The idea of perfection in this life has been proposed by numerous people over the centuries, and while our weakness is not a legitimate excuse for practicing sin in reality no one has the ability not even monks to rid themselves of sin or not repeat it. Doctrines like this operate from pride. As soon as one thinks they have become humble walking in perfect obedience they have pride which is the basis of operation from almost all sins especially false doctrine.
Joseph Fielding Smith Under the sub-heading “Misinterpretation of Texts,” Smith discussed Ephesians 2:8-10 in this way: “There are various opinions concerning the virtue and requirements of salvation. Misinterpretation of Paul’s words has led to much confusion and rejection of the full gospel plan.
“Failure to comprehend the two-fold purpose of the atonement has caused many to believe that all that is essential for salvation is to confess the name of Jesus Christ.” “Those who teach the doctrine of `faith alone’ are searching for an `easy road to heaven.’ … Someone has referred to them as Bible Christians – their religion is in the Bible and not very much in themselves,” (Religious Truths Defined, 1961 ed., p. 267).
Smith is correct. As Biblical Christians we do put our faith in the teachings of the Bible and not in our own works. But it was not an easy road, because Christ had to suffer through his life and especially on the cross to obtain it for us. They practice a cross-less Christianity. And we are to walk in his footsteps by denying self. Mormonism operates on the very opposite basis that all is done so one can obtain the right to be a god on their own planet just as all other gods before them. So they are striving for an illusive butterfly. You can say their prophets over promises and their religion falls way short of its delivery.
What can one say to a Mormon who comes to their door without it taking hours having only one chance to challenge them.
When I’m in a discussion I have them commit to saying they are a Christian. Then I pose a question to them in this manner.
What if I said I was a Mormon and that I can join any church that teaches the Bible. I also don’t believe Joseph Smith was a true prophet, or that their are modern day prophets and apostles. I don’t believe Jesus is an angel in the Spirit family of the Devil, nor that God gives new revelation adding to scripture nor that I can progress to be god of my own world by following the ordinances of the Mormon church with its priesthood.
They would answer, then you are not a Mormon.
I would then ask why not? Their reply would be- because you do not believe what Mormons believe, our priesthood our prophet, you don’t believe in eternal progression, or new revelation in scripture!
My reply would then be, This is exactly why you are not a Christian. You don’t believe in one God, the finished revelation written by the true prophets, that Jesus is the one true God and that man is a sinner, in need of redemption and we can never to progress to be God!
We do want Mormons to be included in Christianity but they need to come the same way we all did by a new spiritual birth, not by the laws and ordinances of the church. One is born into the kingdom (Jn.1:12) not by working they’re way.
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