A few questions for Mormons (LDS).

I was born and baptised into Mormonism, a nominal Mormon family. Don't really recall anything; what I know I've learned by study on the web.

My Denominations page lists several Mormon groups. Much info can be found.

http://www.shasta.com/sphaws/denominations.html

I've been meaning to do an article comparing elements of Mormonism with Catholicism. Especially note that their sacraments almost correspond with Catholicism's.

No, they don't believe in the Trinity in the way Catholics do. That's why the Church very recently decided that Mormon converts must be re-baptised. (Most Trinitarian Protestants aren't re-baptised upon entering the Catholic Church.)

Yes, my understanding is that they do believe people will become Gods.

Steve Haws

 

Joseph Smith was a Mason and the rituals of the Mormon church very closely resemble that of the Masonic lodge.

 

Uncle Ray,

I'm not Mormon although I did check out LDS for over a year and have relatives who are Mormon...You asked:

1. It is my understanding that heaven for a Mormon (equivalent of being saved) involves you becoming a god of your own planet. It that true?

***Sorta...Mormons believe in 3 levels of Heaven...how you behave in this life determines the level of Heaven you attain. I also seem to remember that there's something your relatives can do to help you gain more levels after your death..but I can't remember the details...Also if you attain the highest level of Heaven you can become as God and rule over your own planets, populating them.

2. Do you believe in the Trinity?

***Mormons believe in a different form of the Trinity...they think the Trinity consists of 3 separate beings not 3 in 1.

3. Does God reveal himself to the President of the Mormon Church?

***The President is the Prophet and the Mormon belief is he can be contacted by God to pass down new prophecies etc.

Hope this helps some!

LaRae

 

Uncle Ray,
You might want to check out Ed Decker's web site at:
www.saintsalive.com

He used to be a very prominent mormon who lost his family to the cult after becoming a Christian.
He would have some great insights.
You can also pick up his book which I would highly recommend entitled, "Decker's complete handbook on Mormonism' which is published by Harvest House.

Hope this helps.
God Bless.
Irish Pete

 

The Tanners have done an incredible amount of research on the subject! It is well-documented. http://www.utlm.org/

 

BTW, you have to understand something. According to Mormonism, polygamy was instituted by their god. Their Jesus was a polygamist. In order to obtain statehood, Utah had to give up polygamy. So that meant they had to get permission from their god(i. e., a revelation). Mormons still believe in polygamy. They just aren't allowed to practice it the way they did. Say Robert Smith, worthy Mormon, marries Jill Christianson, worthy Mormon. They are married in the temple for time and eternity. Jill dies at age forty of cancer. Robert gets another wife, they're married in the temple for time and eternity. Wow! This guy will have both of them in eternity(NOT).

 

If you read about the beginnings and first 50 years of Mormonism, you woulf say that they are nothing but a cult, very similar to David Koresh and others. They have no god and for sure not Jesus. The Christian Jesus would not go near any of them!

This group, after staking out in Utha, MURDERED a whole wagon train of Pioneers. It didn't matter if it was a baby, clild, mother, or what ever else........they had no mercy. This hideous deed was at a place called......Mountain Meadows.

God/Jesus will have no mercy on them. The sad part is that the young are brain-washed to a point that they will not attempt to discuss our Christianity. I have a friend from school and his sister who are Mormons. He did live in Salt Lake City and was the music Engineer for the church.

God Bless and we all need to pray for Mormons<<<<<<

Alex

 

God answers prayer. BTW, there is a huge difference between a Baptist church service and a Mormon service: Jesus Christ.

"....nothing but the blood of Jesus..."

 

Jesus warns us that it is not the outside that counts, but the inside. It is the reason why you do things, not just the things you do. If you want to compare the Mormons to those who are white washed tombs, then yes I would agree.

We need to be careful about exactly what it is we value.

 

In response to this thread, I am a lifelong member of the LDS faith. I rarely check this particular site, so if you would like to know the real answers to the questions that you pose, feel free to email me (any of you) @ [email protected]

Thanks, and have a great day!

Don

 

Ray,

Someone mentioned saintsalive.org and that's an excellent site.

Another site you might find helpful is http://www.mrm.org and a good friend of mine's parents helped found a very good ministry called Personal Freedom Outreach. They were formen Jehovah's Witnesses, so they know a little something about witnessing to cult members. I wish I had listened to them when they warned me about the WoF movement. They're at

http://www.pfo.org

Mike

There is no salvation in believing a lie. Every informed, inspired and discerning person is revolted by the absurdities and scripture defying pronouncements in the creeds of Christendom, who's chief function is to define the nature and set forth the kind of being that God is. - Mormon Apostle, Bruce McConkie
The Mortal Messiah, 1:30

[ June 09, 2002, 10:32 AM: Message edited by: Smoke_Eater ]

 

If you have the time another excellent resource is a book entitled "Momma, Mormanism, and Me." Excellent read for insight from within Mormanism. The book is about a young girl and her Morman mother and how she came out of Mormanism into Christianity.

Also another excellent resource is the John Anchorberg Foundation. His organization does a lot of research and provides short "booklets" (usually about 20 to 30 pages) regarding different "faiths". A couple of the best are regarding Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormanism. Both I'm sure many main stream believers would not classify as Christian in doctrine.

What little I know about the faith I learned from my ex-husband's step-sister who practices Mormanism. The most unusual of it all is the practice of the "holy-undergarment". At one time, I did some searching on the web for someone else who had questions at a Christian website I help moderate at ILoveJesus.com



[ June 09, 2002, 04:59 PM: Message edited by: Multimom ]

 

The book of Mormon claims that Jesus was born in Jerusalem rather than Bethlehem, most likely because Joseph Smith forgot where Jesus was born when he wrote it! The book of Mormon also says that communion is to be done with wine, but the Mormons use water instead.

 

They did keep some of the infants and very small children to raise as their own.

I really cringe when the Morman subject comes up. I fear that I don't respond with much charity. That being said their present day theology is what concerns me most. Not just the sins of early members.

Granted they base their theology on a hoax of years past. The sadness it the LDS church has so many really fine people who live moral lives and practice their faith. We can learn somethings from them even while rejecting the crazy theology.

Grace and peace,
Uncle Ray
BTW Ponchatoula, LA keeps popping up. Never heard of the place until about two years ago. Will have to visit some day.</font>[/QUOTE]Thanks for the reply, Uncle Ray........

Sorry for the late response but I was in the hospital with major heart problems and it is now six weeks and finally got some strength back and am doing ok. I had 3 blockages and went out on the treadmill. Had to shock me back. Now have a fibilator implanted. Now back to the Mormons.

I have a friend who got caught up in this CULT. I do not agree with their belief at all. They put ALL their belief in the book of Mormon and the bible is secondary as they believe that the Mormon book is God's message for the NEWER times and that most of the Bible is out of date. It is very sad to see the many who fall for this belief. To me, there, as you said, are many good people who will go to hell, as Mormons. I have only given them credit for staying so closely knitted as opposed to many of our churches, especially my Baptist friends. We should be like them in regards to being as ONE(united) and not bickering all the time. That is where we fall short in many ways. However, we are all Heaven bound.( Those who have truly accepted Jesus as Lord). Can't say the same for the Mormons. Another thing about them, is that most WILL NOT DEBATE. I guess that is part of their brain-washing system.

I could go on and on but without any of them getting into the heat of things, we are wasting our time.

Hope to be on the MB more often now.

God Bless..............Alex

PS: I often "call a spade a spade" when dealing with cults or some left field group claiming to be good Christians.

 

I'm the LDS member who is apparantly lost here.
I just spent about 45 minutes typing a point by point reply. It deleted my message! I'm not doing it again. It must have been too long, either that or else you guys are a buch of conspiratist cultists that won't allow anyone to reply.

I think I will just invite any of you who would like to debate these topics to email me @ [email protected]

God bless you all!

Don

[ June 28, 2002, 11:52 PM: Message edited by: Don Layton ]

 

Hi:
I suggest read the Bom and contrast it with the Bible. You will find that they are not the same. If they were, we would not have the bom. The differences are numerous. Consider the following:
1. The Bible- All truth delivered. Jude 3. Article B of Articles of faith God gave Joseph Smith revelations.
2. The Bible-plenary,inspired,perfect Word of God. ( II Tim. 3:16,17, I Pet. 1:23-25).Bom, " We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is correctly translated." Joseph Smith stated in addressing the 12 apostles, mormon designees, not the 12 of the Bible," I told the brethren that the Bom was the most correct book on earth and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts thatn ANY OTHER BOOK."( A COMPENDIUM of the DOCTRINES of the GOSPEL P. 273).
3.The Bible- ALL THINGS GIVEN.( II Pet. 1:3, Eph. 1:3,James 1:17, Mat. 28:18-20). Mormons- Orson Pratt, Mormon apostle, " The nature of the BOM is such, that if true, no one can be SAVED and REJECT it." Orson Pratt Divine Authenticity of the BOM,p. 124). The Bom is the word of God: then it is to be accepted with equal authority... yea with GREATER authority, since it is not only the word of God, but translated into the english language by the power of God."
More later,
Frank

 

Hello again,

Since nobody responded to my request for a debate via email, I will return to post some things here. I'll start with the last comment first.

Frank:
Hi:
I suggest read the Bom and contrast it with the Bible. You will find that they are not the same. If they were, we would not have the bom.

Don:
Correct...on the first point. The one is a record of the dealings of God with those in the Old World, while the other is a record of His dealings with those in the New World. Even the exact time frames do not correlate precisely. They are not the same. It does not follow that they are not both the word of God. Your comment "...if they were, we would not have the bom" is absurd. Using the same logic, I could argue that the Book of Isaiah is not the same as the Book of Matthew. If they were, we would not have the Book of Matthew.

Frank:
The differences are numerous. Consider the following:
1. The Bible- All truth delivered. Jude 3. Article B of Articles of faith God gave Joseph Smith revelations.

Don:
You had better rip out some of your New Testament then. Jude talks about the faith (past tense) being delivered. This would at least preclude the Book of Jude, as well as all others beyond the chronological period of this context.

In addition, the context has nothing to do with a finality of scripture. Jude simply tells his audience that the faith had been delivered...as it had. He does not make any claim to the cannon being closed. Isaiah points out that God teaches men doctrine and knowledge line upon line, precept upon precept. Who among you has claim to all of the doctrine and knowledge of God? If none of you, why do you make God a liar?

Frank:
2. The Bible-plenary,inspired,perfect Word of God. ( II Tim. 3:16,17, I Pet. 1:23-25).Bom, " We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is correctly translated." Joseph Smith stated in addressing the 12 apostles, mormon designees, not the 12 of the Bible," I told the brethren that the Bom was the most correct book on earth and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts thatn ANY OTHER BOOK."( A COMPENDIUM of the DOCTRINES of the GOSPEL P. 273).

Don:
The passage in II Timothy teaches that all scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, etc.. I do not see what you see there. The passage in 1 Peter teaches that the word of God lives and abides forever. Somehow, it appears that you have taken upon yourself to define and limit the word of God to the Bible (which version, I am not sure), that was compiled several hundred years after Peter wrote this. The Bible makes absolutely no claim of itself. The very word Bible means a collection of books...which it is. Men decided which books would be included. The "word of God" is not entirely synonomous with "Bible", although the Bible does include His words...but not all.

Frank:
3.The Bible- ALL THINGS GIVEN.( II Pet. 1:3, Eph. 1:3,James 1:17, Mat. 28:18-20). Mormons- Orson Pratt, Mormon apostle, " The nature of the BOM is such, that if true, no one can be SAVED and REJECT it." Orson Pratt Divine Authenticity of the BOM,p. 124). The Bom is the word of God: then it is to be accepted with equal authority... yea with GREATER authority, since it is not only the word of God, but translated into the english language by the power of God."

Don:
And yet, one small part of Protestantism (Baptists-see other threads on this board.)cannot even agree as to the meaning of the "Trinity" which, BTW, is not described as such anywhere in the scripture.

As far as the BOM, and the requirement to accept it for salvation, it really comes down to a matter of whether it is true or not. IF it is not true, then there can be no argument. IF it is true, however, would you expect to be able to reject part of the word of God, and still receive salvation? If you had lived in the days of Jesus, and told Him that you would accept His divine sonship, but rejecting His death and resurrection as fairy tales, could you expect to receive salvation?

Have a nice day!

Don

"Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and consciencious stupidity."
-Martin Luther King, Jr.

[ June 28, 2002, 11:58 PM: Message edited by: Don Layton ]