Mormonism In A Nutshell

Mormonism In a Nutshell

What Do Mormons Believe?

Confusion About Mormon Beliefs

Most Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) would be quick to tell you that they are Christians. They believe in Jesus Christ, his atoning sacrifice on the cross, his death, resurrection, and deity. Sounds like there is a lot of commonality with mainline Christianity, right? Unforunately for all LDS members this is just not true. Because of this seeming similarity in belief, Mormons have great trouble considering the many problems and errors that exist in Mormon doctrine. This is also a source of confusion for many Christians regarding what Mormons believe. Just as the Pharisees had great difficulty in considering their own problems when confronted by Jesus Christ, Mormons react in much the same way when confronted by a Christian.

When Truth Confronts Error

Mormons question the authority of mainstream Christianity. They believe the Mormon Church is the one and only true church. Joseph Smith, the founder of the Mormon Church, asked himself why there were so many church denominations. He also wondered why the denominations were continually arguing about one doctrinal point or another.

When Truth confronts Error, Error questions the authority of Truth. The priests and Levites questioned John the Baptist, asking him who he was; Then said they to him, Who are you? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What say you of yourself? (John 1:22). In John 4:48, when Jesus was approached by a nobleman with a dying son , then said Jesus to him, "Except you see signs and wonders, you will not believe". In John 5:16, Jesus was violently confronted by the Jews when he healed a lame man on the Sabbath. "And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the sabbath day". There are numerous other examples found throughout the New Testament.

The Bible Is True As Far As It Is Translated Correctly

Mormons have contended that many translation errors have crept into the Bible over the centuries. This uncertainty in correctness makes it difficult to discuss doctrinal errors. Their pat answer is that, "the Bible is true as far as it is translated correctly". Mormons try to refer to other Mormon scriptural references such as the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price. Mormons maintain that these references are absolutely correct since they are not translations, but are direct revelation from God.

Doctrine of Eternal Progression

Mormons believe that in the future they will become gods and goddesses. Mormon leaders have said, "As man is, God once was; as God is, man may become". Part of the problem of Mormonism is that Mormons ask questions we all wonder about. Where did we come from? Why are we here? Where are we going after this life? Mormons propose answers that seem appealing when presented to a seeker, however there are significant problems if you dig deeper into their answers.

Where did we come from? Mormons believe that before this life we existed as spirit entities. We started out as simple intelligences and learned and grew over time. But without a physical body we could not know pain, hunger, birth, death, disease, etc.

Why are we here? Mormons believe that we needed to come to Earth to learn these things and to perform certain temple ordinances in order to qualify for exaltation. These temple ordinances include: eternal marriages, endowments, and baptisms both for the living and for the dead.

Baptism for the dead. The only biblical reference Mormons cite for baptism for the dead is 1 Cor 15:29, Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead? . This passage of scripture is dealing with the problem of the ressurection of the dead. In 1 Cor 15:12-14, Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. If you replace "the dead" in 1 Cor 15:29 with "Christ", it reads, Else what shall they do which are baptized for Christ, if Christ rose not at all? why are they then baptized for Christ? The Apostle Paul was able to distract a violent crowd comprised of Sadducees and Pharasees over the Sadducees unbelief with regard to the resurrection of the dead in Acts 23.

Where are we going after this life? Mormons believe their are three degrees of glory after this lifetime: the terrestrial, telestial, and celestial. Mormons don't believe in an eternal fire and brimstone hell. How convenient! They believe that people are sent to the terrestrial kingdom. They will remember all they have done in this and the previous lifetimes. Mormons believe damnation is more like the damming of a river to stop its forward progress. People will not progress in the terrestrial kingdom. They will not enjoy the presence and glory of God. They will not be eligible for exaltation. They believe that they can earn a spot in heaven thru works and obedience to the commandments. They believe that if they prove themselves to be worthy, they will become exalted and be perfect. Mormons don't know that perfection in both Old and New Testaments, refers to completion or maturity.

How would Satan sway those that love God away from God?

Satan doesn't have to work to get those that hate God or don't believe in His existence. Satan already has them right where he wants them. But how does Satan sway those that want to love God and approach God? He uses several clever devices. Besides convincing people that they can be just like God, He uses other similar tactics that are not as blatant, yet are still effective. If you they type of person who would want to try and counterfeit a $100 bill, you would use every means you could think of to produce the perfect bill. You would use special scanners and inks and papers, right down to the finest detail. You wouldn't want anything to stand out, yet you would want no imperfections. To the casual eye, it is a perfect $100 bill.

So it is with Satan and his church. He does have churches that performs sacrifices and that outwardly profess him. However it isn't done with the perfect counterfeit Christian churches. They have missionary programs, welfare programs, healings, family programs, temple worship, church attendance, service projects, genealogy programs, ... the list goes on. They wear white shirts and ties, and dresses, are well groomed. They don't drink or smoke, they don't watch R rated movies. They don't work on Sundays (unless their job requires it and even then it is avoided if at all possible). They memorize scriptures, they have "Family Home Evenings". They seem perfectly well behaved and usually are. There is only one flaw. They don't worship the Jesus of the Bible. They worship a "different" Jesus and a "different" gospel. (II Corinthians 11:4, Galations 3:8). Subtle differences, major consequences.

Through good works, church attendence, temple worship, and good behavior, Mormons believe they rightfully deserve to be in heaven. They seem to forget the true significance of the attoning sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. That's exactly what Satan wants.

How you can test the Book of Mormon for Truth and Error

Mormons from an early age are taught phrases like "I know the Book of Mormon is true", "I know Joseph Smith was a prophet of God" . Few Mormons know the Bible well. They use the Book of Mormon as their primary scriptural reference along with the (Mormon) Doctrine and Covenants and The Pearl of Great Price.

The best place to test the Book of Mormon is in the first book of the Book of Mormon -- 1 Nephi. The setting of 1st Nephi is in Jerusalem, 600 B.C. Lehi and his sons: Laman, Lemuel, Sam, and Nephi were warned by God to leave Jerusalem to escape the impending downfall of Jerusalem. So Lehi and sons went into the wilderness for 8 years (600 B.C. to 592 B.C.). They left their homes and "riches" behind. During that 8 year period, (reign of Jehoiakim), Jerusalem was attacked and the invaders hauled off thousands of people and anything of any value (2 Kings 24).

Going back to the Book of Mormon, we find on the first page that the story starts in the first year of the reign of Zedekiah. Johoiakim's reign was before Zedekiah. Jerusalem was already destroyed (the final invasion was in 586 B.C., but anything of any value was hauled off). In 1 Nephi 3, Lehi instructs his sons to go back to Jerusalem to obtain brass plates with the "records of the Jews and the genealogy of their forefathers" (the Torah). Nephi said in verse 7, "I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them". This verse oddly enough sounds just like 1 Corinthians 10:13, "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it ." (KJV)

Anyway, Nephi and his brothers go to Laban's house in Jerusalem to obtain the plates. Laman was chosen to go to Laban's house to obtain them. He was unsuccessful. Next, the brothers "go down to the land of our father's inheritance, for behold he left gold and silver, and all manner of riches" (1 Nephi 3:16)
They went back to Laban and tried to buy the brass plates with their property which was exceedingly great. Laban tried to kill the brothers, but they were able to get away. Nephi went back again and came across Laban fallen down drunk near his house. Nephi beheld Laban's sword of "precious steel" with a hilt of pure gold. Nephi hesitated in killing Laban, but he finally did so in order to obey the Lord's commandment. Nephi then puts on Laban's garments and armor and goes to the treasury of Laban. On the way, Nephi came across one of Laban's servants who had the keys to the treasury. The servant mistook Nephi for Laban and talked about Laban having been out with the elders of the Jews. Nephi then obtains the brass plates. Is there archeological evidence to support engraving on brass plates in 600 B.C. Jerusalem?

What is the point of all this? Here we have a Jew (Laban), who has a treasury, wears armor, carries a sword of "precious steel", hangs out with the elders of the Jews, gets falling down drunk, who happens to have the Holy Torah in his possession instead of being in the temple. Remember that at this point in time, Jerusalem was ransacked and anything of value was hauled off to Babylon (2 Kings 24). Supposedly, the possessions of exceedingly great value were overlooked by the raiders during Lehi and sons eight year absense in the wilderness. What is the likelyhood of finding "precious steel" in Jerusalem 600 B.C.

Now Lehi has a dream which predicts the captivity of Jerusalem and talks of a coming Messiah and the prophet to come before him. In 1 Nephi 9:8, Lehi states, "Yea, even he (the prophet) should go forth and cry in the wilderness: Prepare ye the way of the Lord, and make his paths straight; for there standeth one among you whom ye know not; and he is mightier than I, whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy to unloose. And much spake my father (Lehi) concerning this thing. Compare this verse with Isaiah 40:3 and John 1:27.

Next, the Lord commands Nephi to build a ship (about 591 B.C). He does it with his less than cooperative brothers in less than a year. Noah spent a hundred years on his sea worthy ark. They spent a year traveling to the "promised land" (America).

1 Nephi 20 and 21 are comparable to Isaiah 48 and 49.

What's in a name?

Hebrew names are important. They mightdescribe the character of an individual, describe and event or mood, describe the authority of the individual, etc. In the Book of Nephi, Nephi was described as being of goodly parents, and being large in stature. Oddly, Nephi comes from the primitive root naphal. The Nephilim were the fallen ones (giants) described in Genesis 6:4. The im on the end of Hebrew words indicate plurality. The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men that were of old, the men of renown. Satan had a sense of humor - Nephi = fallen one!

The name "Lord" is used throughout 1 Nephi. The Old Testament you will find the name LORD (all capital letters). LORD would have been used by a Jew in 600 B.C. Jerusalem. Most of the names used in the Book of Mormon were not used in a Hebrew context and in some instances names were used with alternate spellings. Still others are not even Hebrew (e.g. Zenock, Zenos, Neum -- 1 Nephi 19:10)

Temples

Mormons have built temples around the globe. They perform temple ordinances to include The Endowment, baptism for the dead, temple marriages, sealings. There are three points to be raised regarding Mormon temples. Many temples have a statue of the angel Moroni placed on top. Mormons don't believe in displaying crosses either on top of temples, wards, or stake centers, or as jewelery -- because the cross is viewed as an idol. Why is it that the statues of Moroni don't qualify as being idols.

The ordinaces performed in the Mormon temples don't have even a remote resemblence to the Old Testament temples. It took many years to build King Solomon's Temple. Thousands were involved building the temple. Nephi built a temple after the manner of King Solomon's temple.

Another point is