TODAY

Reason 40

Christian Statement of Faith
"1. We believe in the Bible to be the inspired, the only infallible, authoritative Word of God.
 2. We believe there is one God, eternally existent in three persons; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. (The Trinity)
 3. We believe in the Deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father and in His personal return in power and glory.
 4. We believe for the salvation of lost and sinful man, regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential.
 5. We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a godly life.
 6. We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost; they that are saved unto the resurrection of life and they that are lost unto the resurrection of damnation.
 7. We believe in the spiritual unity of believers in Christ.
 8. We believe we are saved by Grace alone."
It is of interest to note that I now find more unity in theology among members of ALL the Christian denominations than I have found among the Mormons themselves, within their own Church! ~ Suzanne Bishop, "Let the Scriptures Speak," p. 188

carm.org has a really strong Christian Statement of Faith as well.
carm.org/statement-faith

There are plenty more Christian SoF's on the internet. All you have to do is Google it!
I believe in the Christian Statement of Faith, however the LDS church disagrees with several Christian beliefs.

     Approaching Mormons in Love, p. 101
Mormons love to declare that there are 900 (sometimes as many as 1,200) Christian denominations, all of which claim to be the only true church. They say the many groups teach conflicting doctrines, yet base those doctrines on the Bible. The Mormon will ask you, "How can all these denominations be right?" The usual Christian response is to point out: (1) there are not that many groups, and (2) the doctrinal differences among true Christian groups are not diverse as the Mormons think. This, however, is not an adequate answer. The elders will not be paying attention to your explanation. Nor will they "buy" it. To get their attention, say, "900 denominations are a lot, aren't they?"
     Mormon: Yes, they certainly are.
     Christian: Let's see. Christianity is 2,000 years old and in that time 900 denominations have developed, according to you. Mormonism is only 170 years old, but there are 83 different groups that point to Joseph Smith as their founder. It seems to me that Mormonism is divided worse than Christianity. (Of these 83 groups, the next six largest are: Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (which has recently changed its name to "Community of Christ"), Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Strangite), Church of Jesus Christ (Cutlerite), Church of Christ (Temple Lot), The Church of Jesus Christ (Bickerton), and the Fundamentalists.)
* other sources show over 100 groups that point to Joseph Smith as their founder *

I am so very blessed God chose me to hear the truth over so many other deserving LDS members. I very often wonder what made HIM choose me and what I did to deserve being chosen. I have learned more about Christ and the Bible in my journey out of Mormonism than I ever learned as a Mormon. I know there is an amazing reason I was a member for seven years. I may never know the reason, but I do know HE has a reason for choosing me. And for this, I am genuinely grateful!

Please do not say you are sad for me or my decision. If it is not clear why the LDS church is not the one true church, then I will be praying for Christ to save you just as He saved me.

Please respect my decisions even if you disagree with me. Please do not treat me or my family any differently because of my choices. I pray we can continue to love one another despite our disagreements.

I pray you have learned how absolutely wonderful it is for me to be out of the LDS church. I am in a much better place now, a place I never could have reached as a Mormon.

These 40 reasons are my reasons for resigning from the LDS church. If believing in and living these non-Biblical Christianity teachings are worth your happiness in the LDS church, then I am truly happy for you. You are in the right place if you can live your life with these doctrines and not have questions or doubts. If these 40 reasons I have shared with you are your reasons for believing it truly is the one true church with the fullness of the gospel and you choose to stay, then it is clear to me you are indeed a Mormon. If you are as happy in the church as I am out of the church, then I truly am happy for you and I will respect your opinions. Just know, I will continue to pray for you to know the Biblical Christ, and I hope to see you in heaven when our mission on earth is complete.

I have never considered myself to be an eloquent writer, nor do I consider myself a Biblical Expert. So if you would like to learn more about the LDS church, see links
lds.org
mormon.org
carm.org/teachings-of-mormonism

As a Mormon, I always thought this was the most difficult way to live. I had to give up so many things I enjoyed: wearing my crosses, having crosses all over my home, coffee, wine, meat, tank tops, dancing, etc. To me this meant I was living a "difficult" life. However, now that I am a Christian, living this life is so much more difficult than my Mormon life. For one thing, I have lost the majority of my LDS "friends" because we do not agree about the church. Two, Satan has been after me since the day I left the church. This strengthens my Faith in Christ and confirms I am doing exactly what I need to do!

     2 Timothy 4:1-5
"I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry."

The Bible commands us to question our religion, and I am so very grateful I followed through with this commandment found in Jude 3. "...contend earnestly for the faith..."

When you want to learn the difference between a car and a truck, who do you ask? The person who has owned only a car or the person who has owned only a truck? Nope, you will speak with one who has owned both a car and a truck. Well, the same holds true for Mormonism and Christianity. If you speak with just a Mormon, they'll give you the LDS side. If you speak with just a Christian, they'll give you the Christian side. If you speak with one who has been a Mormon and now a Christian, they'll give you both sides!

Bible: As a born-again Christian, we are part of God's Church; not an organization.

     1 Corinthians 12:12-14
For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body - whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free - and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. For in fact the body is not one member but many.

     Matthew 18:19-20
Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.

     Matthew 16:18
And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.

LDS: Only the LDS church is the true church. The true church was taken from the earth until Joseph Smith restored it.

     D&C 1:30
And also those to whom these commandments were given, might have power to lay the foundation of this church, and to bring it forth out of obscurity and out of darkness, the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth, with which I, the Lord, am well pleased, speaking unto the church collectively and not individually - 

     D&C 115:3-4
And also unto my faithful servants who are of the high council of my church in Zion, for thus it shall be called, and unto all the elders and people of my Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, scattered abroad in all the world; For thus shall my church be called in the last days, even The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

My unanswered question was:

Why did I spend seven years in a false religion?

I was initially devastated when I received this answer that this was God's plan for me, yet overjoyed to find the truth that God has His reasons for everything! He knew I needed to be a Mormon for seven years to be able to come to Christ! He knew I was ready to hear the truth from Him when I did! He knew I would be able to witness the truth to others once I removed myself from the LDS church! He knew exactly what He was doing and I will be eternally grateful for everything He has done for me! Every bit of this journey has been completely worth everything I've been through - the good as well as the bad. Every bit of bad has been worth the pain because I have been able to help SO many people with their journey! Thank you to those who have shared your stories with me! This includes Catholics, Jehovah's Witnesses, Non-Practicing Mormons, Lost Souls, Atheists, and Agnostics. Those who have chosen to judge me for resigning from the LDS church and those who have chosen to judge me for publicly sharing my story, I still love each and every one of you! This story is not about you; it's about me and my relationship with Christ!