Reason 15
The LDS church teaches perfection. They teach members to pattern their lives after Christ and to live their lives worthy of the Savior's Sacrifice; to think like Him, to act like Him, and to be like Him. I completely disagree with this teaching. Since Christ is the Only Perfect Person, they are striving for perfection. It may not be a direct doctrine, but it is expected. What you do and how you act is preached over a love for Christ. Now I know why I came across as holier-than-thou for so many years. It was through no fault of my own since I was trying so hard to get to the celestial kingdom by living a sinless life as Christ did. So naturally, I would judge others for their sins not even realizing I had plenty of my own. The fact is we can't be and never will be sinless, and He has always known that!
carm.org/striving-for-perfection
No one is perfect except Christ, and no one should expect us to be perfect. God certainly does not expect us to be sinless, and that's exactly why Christ died on the Cross. He made that sacrifice for us because He loves us so much. He has always known that each one of us are sinners regardless of how hard we try to 'live our life worthy of His sacrifice.' He knows and has always known we would make mistakes and not be perfect as He is. There is no striving for perfection in Christianity; just striving to love Him with our entire being without overwhelming ourselves or trying to fulfill impossible expectations. Just by believing in Christ makes us worthy of His Sacrifice. It is a free gift He has given all of us, and all we have to do is accept it! That is how much He loves us. Any other teaching of this is not giving Christ the Praise and Glory He deserves.
--LDS believe all will be resurrected, not just those that believe in Christ, and I also disagree with this teaching. Unfortunately, many will not accept His free gift. I am pretty sure I would not get a free gift from Someone that I did not believe in, but I certainly could be wrong.
One of my main reasons for resigning is my children. I could never expect my children to be perfect, and I know they will make mistake after mistake. I do not and never will expect them to live the life that I am living, just as Christ does not expect us to live our life as He lived His. I expect my children to live their lives for themselves, be who Christ made them to be, and learn from their own mistakes -- another reason I was unable to force the church on them. What kind of mother would I be if I tried to protect them from making mistakes? What kind of mother would I be if I taught my children that they must live their lives 'worthy of the Savior's Sacrifice' or they would not make it to God and me in heaven? I would not be giving them the full experience of learning for themselves through the mistakes I know they will make. I will ALWAYS forgive them for the mistakes they do make, no matter how big their mistake is or how many times they make the same mistake - or any mistake. I certainly do not expect my own children to think like me, act like me, or be like me. Why would God feel any differently? He wouldn't. He feels the exact same way about every one of us as we feel about our own children! Except He loves us infinitely more than we love our own children. He does not want us to think like Him, act like Him, or be like Him. He does not expect us to live sinless lives; just as we do not expect our children to live sinless lives. And just as we will always allow our children in our presence and in our home and accept them for who they are, He will always do the same for us!
We certainly do not need to earn our way into Heaven (God's home) just as my children will never need to earn their way into my home. And earning our way into Heaven is what the LDS church is all about. I never understood how that would not transfer over into my children feeling the need to earn their way into my home. The entire focus and emphasis of the LDS church is not what I am looking for or what I need for me or my entire family, especially my children. All I need is Christ - no middle man will be sufficient. I could never expect my children to earn my love, earn their way into my home or earn a free gift from me. Why would Christ?
I undoubtedly felt the church was trying to make me 'live a perfect life' as the Savior lived, and if I didn't live a perfect life, I would not be worthy enough to live with Him in heaven. Every time I made a mistake--and trust me, I make lots of them,--I felt like I was falling farther and farther away from the celestial kingdom and in essence, God.
James 2:10
For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.
A very good friend told me we must be held accountable for our sins. However, that is what the law is for. That's not what religion is for. Christ died for our sins and that is good enough for me!
Romans 10:4
For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
Galatians 5:4
You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.
--As a mormon, I had definitely fallen from grace. I was trying so hard to make my good works outweigh my faults.
1 John 1:8-9
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Many LDS women are trying to be perfect; I was one of them. Some may think it is not preached that way, but it certainly is felt and understood that way. What you wear, what you do, what you eat, what you drink, how you dance, what you say, what you read, what you listen to, what you watch, how you act, where you go, who you are friends with, etc. you are expected to be 'worthy' and better than the rest.
The Bible tells us there is no expectation of being sinless. The expectation is to love our enemies, pray for those who hurt us, and show love to all. I was not taught this when I was a member, because I was trying so hard to be sinless. I was so wrapped up in myself and trying to reach the celestial kingdom that I wasn't even thinking of others.
During my lifetime, I have attended several Christian Churches. I can speak for those churches by saying that guilt, expectation, weakness, and perfection were not issues. I can say I did not have judgmental feelings in any of those churches. I can say not one of those churches claimed to be the only true church. I can also say not one of those churches said they have the full truth and all the other churches are an abomination. They are just so happy you are there to worship and you accept Christ as your Savior. If by some chance I ever felt not good enough, then I would leave that particular church and find a new one. This is something you are not allowed to do in the LDS church. You are told where you will worship.
--Churches are called wards. Wards are zoned like schools, so where you live determines where you will worship. You are not allowed to search for a new ward. You worship where they tell you to worship.
I know the LDS church does not have to be miserable and depressing. However, mormonism has been proven to have a high depression rate in women. That is not something to blink an eye at and I suppose I used to fit in that statistic. Sometime within those seven years that I was a member, I lost myself in the church. I became somebody that I'm not. I became what the church wanted me to be. I became somebody that no longer had the Spirit of Christ guiding my life. I became a horrible, judgmental, miserable, unreasonable person with depression and anxiety. It took me resigning from the church to realize this, and that is very frustrating to me. Please don't misunderstand me; I am truly grateful for this journey. But I was extremely angry for a long time for allowing myself to become a 'molly mormon.'
iamanexmormon.com/2011/07/kevin-millet
After doing an internet search on depression statistics in the church and mormon depression, my heart aches for many people. I know exactly what they are going through.
bycommonconsent.com/mormons-and-mental-illness
lifeafter.org/mormonsuicide
When I was lost as a member, these were the questions I would get...are you praying enough...are you paying a full tithe...are you attending the temple often enough...are you reading your scriptures with a sincere heart...when is the last time you read the book of mormon...Just turn to the church and everything will be okay. It was all about me and what I was or was not doing. I don't think so! That's exactly what I did and that's when I lost myself in the church. I need a church with the first question being...How is your relationship with Christ...instead of what are you doing or not doing to make it to God. There is absolutely nothing I can do to be 'worthy.' However, I can do all things through Him.
Philippians 4:13
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
--I cannot do anything on my own without Him. And I need a 'church' that teaches me and my children that exact doctrine. I need a 'church' where we hear 'Jesus Christ' more than we hear 'Joseph Smith.' I need a 'church' where we hear 'Love' and 'Relationship' instead of 'testimony.'
mormoninfo.org/testimonies/johanna-lakin
1 Corinthians 3:6
I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.
--God makes it grow. The church was not allowing me to grow. I was at a spiritual stand still headed backwards.
As a member, I never knew if I was going to make it to the celestial kingdom. This was entirely too much pressure. I had no desire to put my children through that same pressure. As a Christian, I have absolutely no doubt that I will be in heaven with God and my entire family, and that is such a comforting feeling! I am full of peace and certainty now and this is something I never had as a mormon.
My unanswered question was:
Why am I trying to live a life as Christ lived when He will always be the only Perfect Man who has ever lived?--especially since Satan was cast out of heaven for trying to be like God.
I was initially devastated when I received this answer that I will never be even close to sinless and should never try to be, yet overjoyed to find the truth that never again do I have to feel 'not good enough.' I am so happy with the person God made me to be and I certainly do not need a church to guide my life or tell me who I should or should not be!
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Saturday, July 16, 2011
PRIORITIES
Reason 14
Simply put, I had it all wrong...I had placed all my faith into the church when I should have placed my faith into Christ.
Everything I did was for the betterment of the "church."
We had family home evening because the "church" preached it. Now we spend every night together as a family instead of just Monday evenings.
We spent our Saturdays preparing for "church." Our entire Sunday was spent doing things for or at the "church."
I paid a full tithe not because I could afford to or because I wanted to but because the "church" required me to. They give no knowledge of where your money goes. All the churches I attend now give you detailed information about finances; how much comes in, how much goes out and where it goes.
I willingly accepted all callings not because I wanted to but because I was told to by the "church."
I tried my best to keep my children quiet during sacrament because I didn't want anyone in the "church" to judge me if they were disruptive.
I followed the word of wisdom not because I wanted to but because if I didn't, I wouldn't be able to attend the temple and would be considered an unworthy mormon. Now I am following an eating lifestyle for my blood type that suggests I eat mainly meat. I feel better and am healthier than I have been in a very long time!
I wore garments not because I wanted to but because the "church" instructed me to.
I continually worked on "strengthening my testimony" not because I wanted to, but I had to in order to continue believing. This is constantly pushed in the "church." Everything is about "strengthening your testimony."
I fed missionaries because the "church" needed us to.
I studied scriptures and prayed because the "church" told me to not because I wanted to.
I made time for visiting teaching and home teaching because that was part of "church."
I attended all meetings for the "church."
I worked so hard to be a worthy mormon and keep my temple recommend.
When speaking with others, the first question on my mind was, are you a member of the "church"?
How is any of this helping me get closer to Christ? How is following all these rules helping me have a personal relationship with Christ? I felt so bogged down just trying to get everything done the "church" asked of me that I didn't even feel like I had time to do anything else.
*Some of these things I did enjoy and I did sincerely even though I was only doing them because I was supposed to. However, I did not feel they helped me attain a personal relationship with Christ.
As you can see, my priorities were all about the "church." I put the "church" above everything else in my life. I put the "church" above Christ. I put the "church" above Ken. I put the "church" above my children. I put the "church" above my family and friends. My heart was in the wrong place. I was doing everything for the wrong reasons; for the "church" or for my benefit of getting to the celestial kingdom. Everything I was doing was for the "church" or because the "church" instructed me to keep on doing what they preached. I certainly was not a Christian as I was doing absolutely nothing from my heart or for Christ. I didn't even have Christ in my life.
The problem with religion-it gives its adherent a false sense of security. ~ Gloria Pickering
As a member I could not imagine my life without the "church."
As a Christian I cannot imagine my life without Christ.
What an amazing difference! Resigning from the "church" is the best decision I have ever made for Christ and myself! I have no religion; I have Christ!
My unanswered question was:
What exactly is a personal relationship with Christ that Christian Churches teach about and why does the LDS church not preach "relationship" instead of everything else?
I was initially devastated when I received this answer that I had no idea what a personal relationship with Christ was, yet overjoyed to find the truth that all I had to do was resign from the church to find the relationship I so desperately wanted and needed!
Simply put, I had it all wrong...I had placed all my faith into the church when I should have placed my faith into Christ.
Everything I did was for the betterment of the "church."
We had family home evening because the "church" preached it. Now we spend every night together as a family instead of just Monday evenings.
We spent our Saturdays preparing for "church." Our entire Sunday was spent doing things for or at the "church."
I paid a full tithe not because I could afford to or because I wanted to but because the "church" required me to. They give no knowledge of where your money goes. All the churches I attend now give you detailed information about finances; how much comes in, how much goes out and where it goes.
I willingly accepted all callings not because I wanted to but because I was told to by the "church."
I tried my best to keep my children quiet during sacrament because I didn't want anyone in the "church" to judge me if they were disruptive.
I followed the word of wisdom not because I wanted to but because if I didn't, I wouldn't be able to attend the temple and would be considered an unworthy mormon. Now I am following an eating lifestyle for my blood type that suggests I eat mainly meat. I feel better and am healthier than I have been in a very long time!
I wore garments not because I wanted to but because the "church" instructed me to.
I continually worked on "strengthening my testimony" not because I wanted to, but I had to in order to continue believing. This is constantly pushed in the "church." Everything is about "strengthening your testimony."
I fed missionaries because the "church" needed us to.
I studied scriptures and prayed because the "church" told me to not because I wanted to.
I made time for visiting teaching and home teaching because that was part of "church."
I attended all meetings for the "church."
I worked so hard to be a worthy mormon and keep my temple recommend.
When speaking with others, the first question on my mind was, are you a member of the "church"?
How is any of this helping me get closer to Christ? How is following all these rules helping me have a personal relationship with Christ? I felt so bogged down just trying to get everything done the "church" asked of me that I didn't even feel like I had time to do anything else.
*Some of these things I did enjoy and I did sincerely even though I was only doing them because I was supposed to. However, I did not feel they helped me attain a personal relationship with Christ.
As you can see, my priorities were all about the "church." I put the "church" above everything else in my life. I put the "church" above Christ. I put the "church" above Ken. I put the "church" above my children. I put the "church" above my family and friends. My heart was in the wrong place. I was doing everything for the wrong reasons; for the "church" or for my benefit of getting to the celestial kingdom. Everything I was doing was for the "church" or because the "church" instructed me to keep on doing what they preached. I certainly was not a Christian as I was doing absolutely nothing from my heart or for Christ. I didn't even have Christ in my life.
The problem with religion-it gives its adherent a false sense of security. ~ Gloria Pickering
As a member I could not imagine my life without the "church."
As a Christian I cannot imagine my life without Christ.
What an amazing difference! Resigning from the "church" is the best decision I have ever made for Christ and myself! I have no religion; I have Christ!
My unanswered question was:
What exactly is a personal relationship with Christ that Christian Churches teach about and why does the LDS church not preach "relationship" instead of everything else?
I was initially devastated when I received this answer that I had no idea what a personal relationship with Christ was, yet overjoyed to find the truth that all I had to do was resign from the church to find the relationship I so desperately wanted and needed!
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
CHRIST
Reason 13
Also see Reasons 8 and 12
LDS claim the true gospel was lost then restored by Joseph Smith, their founding prophet for the latter days. The LDS prophet leads and guides the church in these last days, and all worthy temple going members must sustain the current prophet. Joseph Smith is the head of the church, which claims to be the one true church.
D&C 132:40
I am the Lord thy God, and I gave unto thee, my servant Joseph, an appointment, and restore all things. Ask what ye will, and it shall be given unto you according to my word.
D&C 28:2-6
But, behold, verily, verily, I say unto thee, no one shall be appointed to receive commandments and revelations in this church excepting my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., for he receiveth them even as Moses. And thou shalt be obedient unto the things which I shall give unto him, even as Aaron, to declare faithfully the commandments and the revelations, with power and authority unto the church. And if thou art led at any time by the Comforter to speak or teach, or at all times by the way of commandment unto the church, thou mayest do it. But thou shalt not write by way of commandment, but by wisdom; And thou shalt not command him who is at thy head, and at the head of the church;
I never understood why only Joseph Smith is named. God would know the names of future prophets.
However, the Bible tells us that Jesus is the Only Head of the Church.
Colossians 1:18
And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.
And the Bible also tells us that Jesus Christ is the foundation, or chief cornerstone, of the Christian Church.
Ephesians 2:20
having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone,
And the Bible also says the Prophet for the last days is Christ.
Galatians 4:4-5
But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.
Hebrews 1:1-2
God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds;
So who is the Head, the Foundation, and the Prophet of the Church; Jesus or Joseph Smith?
And the Bible also says the Word of the LORD goes on forever.
1 Peter 1:25
But the word of the LORD endures forever." Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you.
If the word of the LORD goes on forever, then how did it get lost and need restoration from Joseph Smith? The "gospel" was not taken from the earth.--quotes are used because the LDS definition of "gospel" is completely different than the Christian definition of gospel. This will be a later reason.
The LDS church has offices of high priest and believe only LDS have authority to baptize, ordain, etc. They have a two-part system of priesthood-Melchizedek and Aaronic. Thousands of LDS hold Melchizedek Priesthood.
D&C 107:1-21
lds.org/scriptures/dc/107
However, Jesus Christ is the only High Priest according to the Bible.
mormonhandbook.com/priesthood
Hebrews 2:17
Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.
Hebrews 3:1
Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus,
Hebrews 4:14
Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.
Hebrews 5:9-10
And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him, called by God as High Priest "according to the order of Melchizedek,"
Hebrews 7:26
For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens;
Hebrews 8:1
Now this is the main point of the things we are saying: We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens,
Hebrews 9:11
But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation.
Hebrews 9:15
And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.
Hebrews 9:25-26
not that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood of another-He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.
mormoninfo.org also explains how the Aaronic priesthood was finished at the cross and the Melchizedek priesthood is unique to Christ. (THE PRIESTHOOD?)
The Aaronic priesthood was done away at the crucifixion of Christ, since He has become our permanent high priest. There is no more need for Levitical priests to offer imperfect sacrifices on behalf of the people in the temple. Jesus alone is worthy to hold the Melchizedek priesthood. Any believer today who has been called out of darkness into the light, regardless of age, race, or sex, is a member of the holy and royal priesthood. The believer operates in the highest authority that is offered today, viz., that of being a child of the Lord Omnipotent. Christians have the true priesthood, since they have the true God who gives it to them. (Jn. 1:12; Gal. 3:26-9; 1 Tim. 2:5; Heb. 4:14; 5:9-10; 7:11-8:2; 9:24; 1 Pt. 2:5 and 9; and Rev. 1:6; 20:6).
So what does all of this mean? I disagree with the LDS teaching of prophets, the head of the church, the foundation of the church, and high priests. The Bible mentions nothing about the "true church" needing to be restored. The Bible mentions nothing about Joseph Smith being a prophet in the last days. In fact, the Bible does not tell us there will be a man to serve as prophet on the earth in the last days and that we should follow and listen to latter-day prophets; except Christ, of course. Prophets were on the earth at the time they were needed. Christ replaced the office of the prophet. The Bible does not tell us that Joseph Smith will be the head of the "one true church." Jesus will always be the Only Head of the Church. The Bible does not tell us that the foundation of the church will change because some gold plates will be found and translated into another book that will surpass the Bible. Christ's apostles are our apostles today. Jesus, and only Jesus, is My High Priest and My Foundation.
1 Timothy 2:5
For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus.
God Will Not Give His Glory to Another, not even Joseph Smith.
Isaiah 42:8
I am the LORD, that is My name; And My glory I will not give to another, Nor my praise to carved images.
One more contradiction: Deacons in the LDS church are 12-year-old boys.
From lds.org
And office of the Aaronic Priesthood, A boy is normally ordained a deacon when he is 12 years of age or older. Some of a deacon's responsibilities are to pass the sacrament and collect offerings.
In the Church today, worthy male members may receive the Aaronic Priesthood beginning at age 12. These young men, typically ages 12-17, receive many opportunities to participate in sacred priesthood ordinances and give service. As they worthily fulfill their duties, they act in the name of the Lord to help others receive the blessings of the gospel.
1 Timothy 3:8-13 in the Bible explains Deacons much differently.
Likewise deacons must be reverent, not double-tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy for money, holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience. But let these also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons, being found blameless. Likewise, their wives must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things. Let deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well. For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a good standing and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.
These are 2 completely different definitions of Deacons.
Excellent article on prophets for today.
mormoninfo.org/prophets-for-today
Another article about Priesthood Authority
carm.org/priesthood-authority-and-mormonism
This guy does a great job explaining Priesthood.
www.ldsvideo.org/2011/03/mormon-priesthood.html
In other words, Jesus is the ONLY way. No one else has any keys or ordinances. Christ did not need Joseph Smith's help. If the church needed restoring, which it didn't, then Jesus would have been able to "restore" the church all by Himself.
Acts 4:12
Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."
My unanswered question was:
Do I need someone other than Jesus to be my High Priest or to help me get to heaven?
I was initially devastated when I received this answer, yet overjoyed to find the truth that Jesus is my only High Priest and He always will be; no other will be sufficient!
Also see Reasons 8 and 12
LDS claim the true gospel was lost then restored by Joseph Smith, their founding prophet for the latter days. The LDS prophet leads and guides the church in these last days, and all worthy temple going members must sustain the current prophet. Joseph Smith is the head of the church, which claims to be the one true church.
D&C 132:40
I am the Lord thy God, and I gave unto thee, my servant Joseph, an appointment, and restore all things. Ask what ye will, and it shall be given unto you according to my word.
D&C 28:2-6
But, behold, verily, verily, I say unto thee, no one shall be appointed to receive commandments and revelations in this church excepting my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., for he receiveth them even as Moses. And thou shalt be obedient unto the things which I shall give unto him, even as Aaron, to declare faithfully the commandments and the revelations, with power and authority unto the church. And if thou art led at any time by the Comforter to speak or teach, or at all times by the way of commandment unto the church, thou mayest do it. But thou shalt not write by way of commandment, but by wisdom; And thou shalt not command him who is at thy head, and at the head of the church;
I never understood why only Joseph Smith is named. God would know the names of future prophets.
However, the Bible tells us that Jesus is the Only Head of the Church.
Colossians 1:18
And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.
And the Bible also tells us that Jesus Christ is the foundation, or chief cornerstone, of the Christian Church.
Ephesians 2:20
having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone,
And the Bible also says the Prophet for the last days is Christ.
Galatians 4:4-5
But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.
Hebrews 1:1-2
God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds;
So who is the Head, the Foundation, and the Prophet of the Church; Jesus or Joseph Smith?
And the Bible also says the Word of the LORD goes on forever.
1 Peter 1:25
But the word of the LORD endures forever." Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you.
If the word of the LORD goes on forever, then how did it get lost and need restoration from Joseph Smith? The "gospel" was not taken from the earth.--quotes are used because the LDS definition of "gospel" is completely different than the Christian definition of gospel. This will be a later reason.
The LDS church has offices of high priest and believe only LDS have authority to baptize, ordain, etc. They have a two-part system of priesthood-Melchizedek and Aaronic. Thousands of LDS hold Melchizedek Priesthood.
D&C 107:1-21
lds.org/scriptures/dc/107
However, Jesus Christ is the only High Priest according to the Bible.
mormonhandbook.com/priesthood
Hebrews 2:17
Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.
Hebrews 3:1
Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus,
Hebrews 4:14
Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.
Hebrews 5:9-10
And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him, called by God as High Priest "according to the order of Melchizedek,"
Hebrews 7:26
For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens;
Hebrews 8:1
Now this is the main point of the things we are saying: We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens,
Hebrews 9:11
But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation.
Hebrews 9:15
And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.
Hebrews 9:25-26
not that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood of another-He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.
mormoninfo.org also explains how the Aaronic priesthood was finished at the cross and the Melchizedek priesthood is unique to Christ. (THE PRIESTHOOD?)
The Aaronic priesthood was done away at the crucifixion of Christ, since He has become our permanent high priest. There is no more need for Levitical priests to offer imperfect sacrifices on behalf of the people in the temple. Jesus alone is worthy to hold the Melchizedek priesthood. Any believer today who has been called out of darkness into the light, regardless of age, race, or sex, is a member of the holy and royal priesthood. The believer operates in the highest authority that is offered today, viz., that of being a child of the Lord Omnipotent. Christians have the true priesthood, since they have the true God who gives it to them. (Jn. 1:12; Gal. 3:26-9; 1 Tim. 2:5; Heb. 4:14; 5:9-10; 7:11-8:2; 9:24; 1 Pt. 2:5 and 9; and Rev. 1:6; 20:6).
So what does all of this mean? I disagree with the LDS teaching of prophets, the head of the church, the foundation of the church, and high priests. The Bible mentions nothing about the "true church" needing to be restored. The Bible mentions nothing about Joseph Smith being a prophet in the last days. In fact, the Bible does not tell us there will be a man to serve as prophet on the earth in the last days and that we should follow and listen to latter-day prophets; except Christ, of course. Prophets were on the earth at the time they were needed. Christ replaced the office of the prophet. The Bible does not tell us that Joseph Smith will be the head of the "one true church." Jesus will always be the Only Head of the Church. The Bible does not tell us that the foundation of the church will change because some gold plates will be found and translated into another book that will surpass the Bible. Christ's apostles are our apostles today. Jesus, and only Jesus, is My High Priest and My Foundation.
1 Timothy 2:5
For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus.
God Will Not Give His Glory to Another, not even Joseph Smith.
Isaiah 42:8
I am the LORD, that is My name; And My glory I will not give to another, Nor my praise to carved images.
One more contradiction: Deacons in the LDS church are 12-year-old boys.
From lds.org
And office of the Aaronic Priesthood, A boy is normally ordained a deacon when he is 12 years of age or older. Some of a deacon's responsibilities are to pass the sacrament and collect offerings.
In the Church today, worthy male members may receive the Aaronic Priesthood beginning at age 12. These young men, typically ages 12-17, receive many opportunities to participate in sacred priesthood ordinances and give service. As they worthily fulfill their duties, they act in the name of the Lord to help others receive the blessings of the gospel.
1 Timothy 3:8-13 in the Bible explains Deacons much differently.
Likewise deacons must be reverent, not double-tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy for money, holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience. But let these also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons, being found blameless. Likewise, their wives must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things. Let deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well. For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a good standing and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.
These are 2 completely different definitions of Deacons.
Excellent article on prophets for today.
mormoninfo.org/prophets-for-today
Another article about Priesthood Authority
carm.org/priesthood-authority-and-mormonism
This guy does a great job explaining Priesthood.
www.ldsvideo.org/2011/03/mormon-priesthood.html
In other words, Jesus is the ONLY way. No one else has any keys or ordinances. Christ did not need Joseph Smith's help. If the church needed restoring, which it didn't, then Jesus would have been able to "restore" the church all by Himself.
Acts 4:12
Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."
My unanswered question was:
Do I need someone other than Jesus to be my High Priest or to help me get to heaven?
I was initially devastated when I received this answer, yet overjoyed to find the truth that Jesus is my only High Priest and He always will be; no other will be sufficient!
Saturday, July 9, 2011
PROPHETS
Reason 12
Also see Reason 8
The Bible has very clear warnings of another Jesus, another Gospel, another Spirit, and False Apostles.
Deuteronomy 13:1-5
"If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and he gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, 'Let us go after other gods'-which you have not known-'and let us serve them,' you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for the LORD your God is testing you to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. You shall walk after the LORD your God and fear Him, and keep His commandments and obey His voice; you shall serve Him and hold fast to Him. But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has spoken in order to turn you away from the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of bondage, to entice you from the way in which the LORD your God commanded you to walk. So you shall put away the evil from your midst.
Jeremiah 14:14-15
And the LORD said to me, "The prophets prophesy lies in My name. I have not sent them, commanded them, nor spoken to them; they prophesy to you a false vision, divination, a worthless thing, and the deceit of their heart. Therefore thus says the LORD concerning the prophets who prophesy in My name, whom I did not send, and who say, 'Sword and famine shall not be in this land'-'By sword and famine those prophets shall be consumed!
Lamentations 2:14
Your prophets have seen for you False and deceptive visions; They have not uncovered your iniquity, To bring back your captives, But have envisioned for you false prophecies and delusions.
Ezekiel 22:28
Her prophets plastered them with untempered mortar, seeing false visions, and divining lies for them, saying, 'Thus says the Lord GOD,' when the LORD had not spoken.
Matthew 7:15
"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.
Matthew 24:11
Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.
Matthew 24:24 and Mark 13:22
For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.
2 Corinthians 11:3
But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
2 Peter 2:1-2
But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their destructive ways,...
1 John 4:1
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
HOW DO WE TEST A PROPHET?, by Sandra Tanner (Great-great-granddaughter of Brigham Young), Utah Lighthouse Ministry
I have included only parts of the article. To see the entire document, please see this link
utlm.org/howdowetestaprophet
...The Mormon missionaries...challenged them to pray about Joseph Smith's message and the Book of Mormon...Is this the proper way to determine if his message is truly from God? The Bible never says to test a prophet by prayer, but by his message. Deuteronomy 13 warns that a prophet must teach correctly about God...Paul tells us in Galatians 1:8-9 that even angels can appear with a wrong message. ...In Acts 17:10-12,..."these were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. Therefore many of them believed..." ...Paul did not tell them to go home and pray about it. They were praised for searching the scriptures, in other words, testing the message to see if it agreed with the prophecies of the Messiah.
...John made an appeal to fact, not feeling, ...(1 John 1:1-3)...
Peter wrote specifically to warn about false teachers: (2 Peter 1:15-16) "Moreover I will endeavour that ye may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance. For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty..." ...in Chapter 3...he refers them to past teachings and facts, not to feelings or prayer.
The Mormons misuse James 1:5. That verse is for wisdom during times of temptation and persecution, not for knowledge or testing a prophet. He goes on to warn in Chapter 4, verse 3, about those who pray (and we assume it was in Jesus name) for the wrong things-"Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss..." This verse shows our own desires or misdirected ideas can play a part in the answer. If someone claimed God said we should rob a bank and give the money to the poor, would we need to pray about it? God has already spoken on the issue in the Ten Commandments. So why should we pray to know if God and Jesus appeared to Joseph Smith to show him that they are two totally separated gods with resurrected bodies? Or that there were gods BEFORE our heavenly father. (See Smith's sermons in the LDS History of the Church, vol. 6, pp. 305-312, 474-476) Compare his sermons with Isa. 43:10-11, 44:6-8, 24-25, 45:5-6, 18-24, 46:5-10. Joseph Smith contradicts Isaiah-which one should we believe? Christians test prophets, pastors, and teachers by the Bible. LDS test the Bible by their prophets. They go about testing the message backwards. The Bible was here first, therefore Joseph Smith must be tested by it, not the other way around.
Certainly a decision regarding our eternal life is the most important one we will ever make and deserves careful examination. Anyone meeting with the LDS missionaries should know both sides of the issue. There are plenty of facts from LDS sources to show that Joseph Smith taught false doctrine, lied about polygamy (even to his own wife), changed his revelations, gave false prophecies, etc. He hardly meets the test of a prophet. Truth will stand up to investigation.
Another site showing Joseph Smith as a false prophet
carm.org/book-abraham-papyri
This information is very clearly fact and evidence. I do not need to pray about these facts or the evidence to know if it is true or not. I have tested Joseph Smith by The Bible, and he has clearly failed the Biblical test of a true prophet.
My unanswered question was:
Since The Bible is clear that there will be false prophets, is it possible that Joseph Smith was a false prophet?
I was initially devastated when I received this answer that Joseph Smith could most definitely be a false prophet, yet overjoyed to find the truth that I am much safer without following a potentially false prophet!
Also see Reason 8
The Bible has very clear warnings of another Jesus, another Gospel, another Spirit, and False Apostles.
Deuteronomy 13:1-5
"If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and he gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, 'Let us go after other gods'-which you have not known-'and let us serve them,' you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for the LORD your God is testing you to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. You shall walk after the LORD your God and fear Him, and keep His commandments and obey His voice; you shall serve Him and hold fast to Him. But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has spoken in order to turn you away from the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of bondage, to entice you from the way in which the LORD your God commanded you to walk. So you shall put away the evil from your midst.
Jeremiah 14:14-15
And the LORD said to me, "The prophets prophesy lies in My name. I have not sent them, commanded them, nor spoken to them; they prophesy to you a false vision, divination, a worthless thing, and the deceit of their heart. Therefore thus says the LORD concerning the prophets who prophesy in My name, whom I did not send, and who say, 'Sword and famine shall not be in this land'-'By sword and famine those prophets shall be consumed!
Lamentations 2:14
Your prophets have seen for you False and deceptive visions; They have not uncovered your iniquity, To bring back your captives, But have envisioned for you false prophecies and delusions.
Ezekiel 22:28
Her prophets plastered them with untempered mortar, seeing false visions, and divining lies for them, saying, 'Thus says the Lord GOD,' when the LORD had not spoken.
Matthew 7:15
"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.
Matthew 24:11
Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.
Matthew 24:24 and Mark 13:22
For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.
2 Corinthians 11:3
But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
2 Peter 2:1-2
But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their destructive ways,...
1 John 4:1
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
HOW DO WE TEST A PROPHET?, by Sandra Tanner (Great-great-granddaughter of Brigham Young), Utah Lighthouse Ministry
I have included only parts of the article. To see the entire document, please see this link
utlm.org/howdowetestaprophet
...The Mormon missionaries...challenged them to pray about Joseph Smith's message and the Book of Mormon...Is this the proper way to determine if his message is truly from God? The Bible never says to test a prophet by prayer, but by his message. Deuteronomy 13 warns that a prophet must teach correctly about God...Paul tells us in Galatians 1:8-9 that even angels can appear with a wrong message. ...In Acts 17:10-12,..."these were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. Therefore many of them believed..." ...Paul did not tell them to go home and pray about it. They were praised for searching the scriptures, in other words, testing the message to see if it agreed with the prophecies of the Messiah.
...John made an appeal to fact, not feeling, ...(1 John 1:1-3)...
Peter wrote specifically to warn about false teachers: (2 Peter 1:15-16) "Moreover I will endeavour that ye may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance. For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty..." ...in Chapter 3...he refers them to past teachings and facts, not to feelings or prayer.
The Mormons misuse James 1:5. That verse is for wisdom during times of temptation and persecution, not for knowledge or testing a prophet. He goes on to warn in Chapter 4, verse 3, about those who pray (and we assume it was in Jesus name) for the wrong things-"Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss..." This verse shows our own desires or misdirected ideas can play a part in the answer. If someone claimed God said we should rob a bank and give the money to the poor, would we need to pray about it? God has already spoken on the issue in the Ten Commandments. So why should we pray to know if God and Jesus appeared to Joseph Smith to show him that they are two totally separated gods with resurrected bodies? Or that there were gods BEFORE our heavenly father. (See Smith's sermons in the LDS History of the Church, vol. 6, pp. 305-312, 474-476) Compare his sermons with Isa. 43:10-11, 44:6-8, 24-25, 45:5-6, 18-24, 46:5-10. Joseph Smith contradicts Isaiah-which one should we believe? Christians test prophets, pastors, and teachers by the Bible. LDS test the Bible by their prophets. They go about testing the message backwards. The Bible was here first, therefore Joseph Smith must be tested by it, not the other way around.
Certainly a decision regarding our eternal life is the most important one we will ever make and deserves careful examination. Anyone meeting with the LDS missionaries should know both sides of the issue. There are plenty of facts from LDS sources to show that Joseph Smith taught false doctrine, lied about polygamy (even to his own wife), changed his revelations, gave false prophecies, etc. He hardly meets the test of a prophet. Truth will stand up to investigation.
Another site showing Joseph Smith as a false prophet
carm.org/book-abraham-papyri
This information is very clearly fact and evidence. I do not need to pray about these facts or the evidence to know if it is true or not. I have tested Joseph Smith by The Bible, and he has clearly failed the Biblical test of a true prophet.
My unanswered question was:
Since The Bible is clear that there will be false prophets, is it possible that Joseph Smith was a false prophet?
I was initially devastated when I received this answer that Joseph Smith could most definitely be a false prophet, yet overjoyed to find the truth that I am much safer without following a potentially false prophet!
Sunday, July 3, 2011
GOD
Reason 11
Joseph Smith said that God was not always God; He was once a mortal man just like you and me.
God Himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens! That is the great secret. If the veil were rent today, and the great God who holds this world in its orbit, and who upholds all worlds and all things by His power, was to make Himself visible,-I say, if you were to see Him today, you would see Him like a man in form-like yourselves in all the person, image, and very form as a man; for Adam was created in the very fashion, image and likeness of God, and received instruction from, and walked, talked and conversed with Him, as one man talks and communes with another...I have always declared God to be a distinct personage, Jesus Christ a separate and distinct personage from God the Father...That which is without body or parts is nothing. There is no other God in heaven but that God who has flesh and bones. Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p 40-42
James E. Talmage agrees with Joseph Smith.
From the evidence already presented, it is clear that the Father is a personal being, possessing a definite form, with bodily parts and spiritual passions. Jesus Christ, who was with the Father in spirit before coming to dwell in the flesh, and through whom the worlds were made, lived among men as a man, with all the physical characteristics of a human being; after His resurrection He appeared in the same form; in that form He ascended into heaven; and in that form He has manifested Himself to the Nephites, and to modern prophets. We are assured that Christ was in the express image of His Father, after which image man also has been created. Therefore we know that both the Father and the Son are in form and stature perfect men; each of them possesses a tangible body, infinitely pure and perfect and attended by transcendent glory, nevertheless a body of flesh and bones. Articles of Faith, James E. Talmage, p 37-38
D&C 130:22
The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man's; the Son also...
From Mormon & LDS Facts Facebook page
"When the Virgin Mary conceived the child Jesus, the Father had begotten him in his own likeness. He was not begotten by the Holy Ghost." (Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses 1:50)
"The birth of the Saviour was as natural as are the births of our children; it was the result of natural action. He partook of flesh and blood-was begotten of his Father, as we were of our father." (Brigham Young, JofD 8:115)
See the Mormon Handbook for other teachings about God being a man.
mormonhandbook.com/god-is-an-exalted-man
A great article about how the LDS view of God contradicts the Bible
utlm.org/onlineresources/ldsviewcontradictsbible
The Bible says that God has always been God, was never man, is Spirit, is invisible, is everywhere at all times and is unchanging.
Numbers 23:19
"God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?
Psalm 90:2
Before the mountains were brought forth, Or ever You had formed the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.
Psalm 102:27
But You are the same, And Your years will have no end.
Psalm 139:7
Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?
Proverbs 15:3
The eyes of the LORD are in every place, Keeping watch on the evil and the good.
Jeremiah 23:24
Can anyone hide himself in secret places, So I shall not see him?" says the LORD; "Do I not fill heaven and earth?" says the LORD.
1 Samuel 15:29
And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor relent. For He is not a man, that He should relent."
Hosea 11:9
I will not execute the fierceness of My anger; I will not again destroy Ephraim. For I am God, and not man, The Holy One in your midst; And I will not come with terror.
Habakkuk 1:12
Are You not from everlasting, O LORD my God, my Holy One? We shall not die. O LORD. You have appointed them for judgment; O Rock, You have marked them for correction.
Malachi 3:6
"For I am the LORD, I do not change; Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.
Matthew 18:20
For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them."
Luke 24:39 (Jesus speaking)
Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have."
John 1:18
No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.
John 4:24
God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."
Romans 1:22-25
Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man-and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
Colossians 1:15 (Speaking of Jesus)
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
1 Timothy 1:17
Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
1 Timothy 6:15-16
which He will manifest in His own time, He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen.
Hebrews 1:12
Like a cloak You will fold them up, And they will be changed. But You are the same, And Your years will not fail."
Hebrews 13:8
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
James 1:17 (giver)
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.
So if God has always been God, was never man, is Spirit, is invisible, is everywhere at all times and is unchanging, then it is not possible that He began as a man and changed or progressed to God.
How Big is God? He is BIG enough to save us all from our sins. Not only is God Omnipotent, Omniscient, Omnipresent, Immutable and Sovereign, but no one else will share His Glory! Let the Scriptures Speak, Suzanne Bishop, p 38
Isaiah 42:8
I am the LORD, that is My name; And My glory I will not give to another, Nor My praise to carved images.
(We should not praise any other person.)
In Mormonism, man became God. In Christianity, God became a Man. These two are complete opposites and only one can be right.
My unanswered questions were:
Why did Joseph Smith teach that God was a man just like us when The Bible clearly says that God is purely Spirit? How could Joseph Smith have seen God, when He is clearly not a man and no one has ever seen God?
I was initially devastated when I received these answers that Joseph Smith did not know God or The Bible as well as he claimed and that the LDS god is much different than the Christian God, yet overjoyed to find the truth that God was never a man like us and He became a man to save us all!
Joseph Smith said that God was not always God; He was once a mortal man just like you and me.
God Himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens! That is the great secret. If the veil were rent today, and the great God who holds this world in its orbit, and who upholds all worlds and all things by His power, was to make Himself visible,-I say, if you were to see Him today, you would see Him like a man in form-like yourselves in all the person, image, and very form as a man; for Adam was created in the very fashion, image and likeness of God, and received instruction from, and walked, talked and conversed with Him, as one man talks and communes with another...I have always declared God to be a distinct personage, Jesus Christ a separate and distinct personage from God the Father...That which is without body or parts is nothing. There is no other God in heaven but that God who has flesh and bones. Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p 40-42
James E. Talmage agrees with Joseph Smith.
From the evidence already presented, it is clear that the Father is a personal being, possessing a definite form, with bodily parts and spiritual passions. Jesus Christ, who was with the Father in spirit before coming to dwell in the flesh, and through whom the worlds were made, lived among men as a man, with all the physical characteristics of a human being; after His resurrection He appeared in the same form; in that form He ascended into heaven; and in that form He has manifested Himself to the Nephites, and to modern prophets. We are assured that Christ was in the express image of His Father, after which image man also has been created. Therefore we know that both the Father and the Son are in form and stature perfect men; each of them possesses a tangible body, infinitely pure and perfect and attended by transcendent glory, nevertheless a body of flesh and bones. Articles of Faith, James E. Talmage, p 37-38
D&C 130:22
The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man's; the Son also...
From Mormon & LDS Facts Facebook page
"When the Virgin Mary conceived the child Jesus, the Father had begotten him in his own likeness. He was not begotten by the Holy Ghost." (Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses 1:50)
"The birth of the Saviour was as natural as are the births of our children; it was the result of natural action. He partook of flesh and blood-was begotten of his Father, as we were of our father." (Brigham Young, JofD 8:115)
See the Mormon Handbook for other teachings about God being a man.
mormonhandbook.com/god-is-an-exalted-man
A great article about how the LDS view of God contradicts the Bible
utlm.org/onlineresources/ldsviewcontradictsbible
The Bible says that God has always been God, was never man, is Spirit, is invisible, is everywhere at all times and is unchanging.
Numbers 23:19
"God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?
Psalm 90:2
Before the mountains were brought forth, Or ever You had formed the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.
Psalm 102:27
But You are the same, And Your years will have no end.
Psalm 139:7
Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?
Proverbs 15:3
The eyes of the LORD are in every place, Keeping watch on the evil and the good.
Jeremiah 23:24
Can anyone hide himself in secret places, So I shall not see him?" says the LORD; "Do I not fill heaven and earth?" says the LORD.
1 Samuel 15:29
And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor relent. For He is not a man, that He should relent."
Hosea 11:9
I will not execute the fierceness of My anger; I will not again destroy Ephraim. For I am God, and not man, The Holy One in your midst; And I will not come with terror.
Habakkuk 1:12
Are You not from everlasting, O LORD my God, my Holy One? We shall not die. O LORD. You have appointed them for judgment; O Rock, You have marked them for correction.
Malachi 3:6
"For I am the LORD, I do not change; Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.
Matthew 18:20
For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them."
Luke 24:39 (Jesus speaking)
Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have."
John 1:18
No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.
John 4:24
God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."
Romans 1:22-25
Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man-and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
Colossians 1:15 (Speaking of Jesus)
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
1 Timothy 1:17
Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
1 Timothy 6:15-16
which He will manifest in His own time, He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen.
Hebrews 1:12
Like a cloak You will fold them up, And they will be changed. But You are the same, And Your years will not fail."
Hebrews 13:8
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
James 1:17 (giver)
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.
So if God has always been God, was never man, is Spirit, is invisible, is everywhere at all times and is unchanging, then it is not possible that He began as a man and changed or progressed to God.
How Big is God? He is BIG enough to save us all from our sins. Not only is God Omnipotent, Omniscient, Omnipresent, Immutable and Sovereign, but no one else will share His Glory! Let the Scriptures Speak, Suzanne Bishop, p 38
Isaiah 42:8
I am the LORD, that is My name; And My glory I will not give to another, Nor My praise to carved images.
(We should not praise any other person.)
In Mormonism, man became God. In Christianity, God became a Man. These two are complete opposites and only one can be right.
My unanswered questions were:
Why did Joseph Smith teach that God was a man just like us when The Bible clearly says that God is purely Spirit? How could Joseph Smith have seen God, when He is clearly not a man and no one has ever seen God?
I was initially devastated when I received these answers that Joseph Smith did not know God or The Bible as well as he claimed and that the LDS god is much different than the Christian God, yet overjoyed to find the truth that God was never a man like us and He became a man to save us all!
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
BECOMING GODS
Reason 10
LDS doctrine:
We can become gods, we need to pattern our lives after Christ, and our husbands can rule their own planet in eternity.
BECOMING A GOD
The LDS church teaches exaltation, which means we can become a god in the celestial kingdom. Just as we must obey while we are on earth to achieve the highest positions in the church, we must also obey in heaven in order to rule our own planet and become a god.
D&C 76:50-58
...they are gods...
D&C 132:15-23
...but are appointed angels in heaven, which angels are ministering servants, to minister for those who are worthy of a far more, and an exceeding, and an eternal weight of glory. For these angels did not abide my law; therefore, they cannot be enlarged, but remain separately and singly, without exaltation, in their saved condition, to all eternity; and from henceforth are not gods, but are angels of God forever and ever....the angels and the gods are appointed there, by whom they cannot pass; they cannot...inherit my glory...and shall inherit thrones, kingdoms, principalities, and powers, dominions, all heights and depths-...and they shall pass by the angels, and the gods, which are set there, to their exaltation and glory in all things, as hath been sealed upon their heads, which glory shall be a fulness and a continuation of the seeds forever and ever. Then shall they be gods, because they have no end; therefore shall they be from everlasting to everlasting, because they continue; then shall they be above all, because all things are subject unto them. Then shall they be gods, because they have all power, and the angels are subject unto them. Verily, verily, I say unto you, except ye abide my law ye cannot attain to this glory. For strait is the gate, and narrow the way that leadeth unto the exaltation and continuation of the lives, and few there be that find it, because ye receive me not in the world neither do ye know me. But if ye receive me in the world, then shall ye know me, and shall receive your exaltation; that where I am ye shall be also.
D&C 132:29
Abraham received all things, whatsoever he received, by revelation and commandment, by my word, saith the Lord, and hath entered into his exaltation and sitteth upon his throne.
D&C 132:37
Abraham...Isaac also and Jacob did none other things than that which they were commanded; and because they did none other things than that which they were commanded, they have entered into their exaltation, according to the promises, and sit upon thrones, and are not angels but are gods.
When we lived with our Heavenly Father, he explained a plan for our progression. We could become like him, an exalted being...exaltation is eternal life, the kind of life God lives. He lives in great glory. He is perfect. He possesses all knowledge and all wisdom. He is the Father of spirit children. He is a creator. We can become like our Heavenly Father. This is exaltation. If we prove faithful to the Lord, we will live in the highest degree of the celestial kingdom of heaven. We will become exalted, just like our Heavenly Father. Exaltation is the greatest gift that Heavenly Father can give his children. Our Heavenly Father is perfect. However, he is not jealous of his wisdom and perfection. He glories in the fact that it is possible for his children to become like him...Those who receive exaltation in the celestial kingdom...will receive special blessings...these are some of the blessings given to exalted people:
LDS doctrine:
We can become gods, we need to pattern our lives after Christ, and our husbands can rule their own planet in eternity.
BECOMING A GOD
The LDS church teaches exaltation, which means we can become a god in the celestial kingdom. Just as we must obey while we are on earth to achieve the highest positions in the church, we must also obey in heaven in order to rule our own planet and become a god.
D&C 76:50-58
...they are gods...
D&C 132:15-23
...but are appointed angels in heaven, which angels are ministering servants, to minister for those who are worthy of a far more, and an exceeding, and an eternal weight of glory. For these angels did not abide my law; therefore, they cannot be enlarged, but remain separately and singly, without exaltation, in their saved condition, to all eternity; and from henceforth are not gods, but are angels of God forever and ever....the angels and the gods are appointed there, by whom they cannot pass; they cannot...inherit my glory...and shall inherit thrones, kingdoms, principalities, and powers, dominions, all heights and depths-...and they shall pass by the angels, and the gods, which are set there, to their exaltation and glory in all things, as hath been sealed upon their heads, which glory shall be a fulness and a continuation of the seeds forever and ever. Then shall they be gods, because they have no end; therefore shall they be from everlasting to everlasting, because they continue; then shall they be above all, because all things are subject unto them. Then shall they be gods, because they have all power, and the angels are subject unto them. Verily, verily, I say unto you, except ye abide my law ye cannot attain to this glory. For strait is the gate, and narrow the way that leadeth unto the exaltation and continuation of the lives, and few there be that find it, because ye receive me not in the world neither do ye know me. But if ye receive me in the world, then shall ye know me, and shall receive your exaltation; that where I am ye shall be also.
D&C 132:29
Abraham received all things, whatsoever he received, by revelation and commandment, by my word, saith the Lord, and hath entered into his exaltation and sitteth upon his throne.
D&C 132:37
Abraham...Isaac also and Jacob did none other things than that which they were commanded; and because they did none other things than that which they were commanded, they have entered into their exaltation, according to the promises, and sit upon thrones, and are not angels but are gods.
When we lived with our Heavenly Father, he explained a plan for our progression. We could become like him, an exalted being...exaltation is eternal life, the kind of life God lives. He lives in great glory. He is perfect. He possesses all knowledge and all wisdom. He is the Father of spirit children. He is a creator. We can become like our Heavenly Father. This is exaltation. If we prove faithful to the Lord, we will live in the highest degree of the celestial kingdom of heaven. We will become exalted, just like our Heavenly Father. Exaltation is the greatest gift that Heavenly Father can give his children. Our Heavenly Father is perfect. However, he is not jealous of his wisdom and perfection. He glories in the fact that it is possible for his children to become like him...Those who receive exaltation in the celestial kingdom...will receive special blessings...these are some of the blessings given to exalted people:
- They will live eternally in the presence of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ (as if they are two separate beings)
- They will become gods.
- They will have their righteous family members with them and will be able to have spirit children also. These spirit children will have the same relationship to them as we do to our Heavenly Father. They will be an eternal family.
- They will receive a fulness of joy.
- They will have everything that our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have-all power, glory, dominion, and knowledge..., Gospel Principles, 301-302 (1992)
"here, then, is eternal life-to know the only wise and true God; and you have got to learn how to be gods yourselves, and to be kings and priests to God, ...by going from one small degree to another, and from a small capacity to a great one; from grace to grace, from exaltation to exaltation, until you attain to the resurrection of the dead, and are able to dwell in everlasting burnings, and to sit in glory, as do those who sit enthroned in everlasting power...to inherit the same power, the same glory and the same exaltation, until you arrive at the station of a god, and ascend the throne of eternal power, the same as those who have gone before..., Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p 221-222
...Hold out to the end, and we shall be resurrected and become like Gods, and reign in celestial kingdoms, principalities, and eternal dominions. Ibid p 531
Lorenzo Snow says: "As man is, God once was; as God is, man may become." Also Joseph Smith's King Follett sermon and Articles of Faith by James E. Talmage, p 390.
However, in The Bible, there is no such thing as becoming a god or even becoming like God.
PATTERN OUR LIVES AFTER CHRIST
Followers of Christ pattern their lives after the Savior to walk in the light. Elder Walter F. Gonzalez of the Presidency of the Seventy, Followers of Christ, Ensign, May 2011
Kyiv Ukraine Temple dedicatory prayer: 'We seek to pattern our lives after the life of Thy Son,' Prayer offered by President Thomas S. Monson to dedicate the Kyiv Ukraine Temple on Sunday, August 29, 2010
RULE OUR OWN PLANET IN ETERNITY
I'm not sure if LDS believe that God lives on the planet Kolob or if he lives close to Kolob. Either way, Kolob means "the first creation" and the Mormon god lives somewhere on or around this planet. So in order to become like Him as the LDS church teaches, we must have our own planet someday.
Abraham 3:3-9
...the name of the great one is Kolob,...there shall be another planet whose reckoning of time shall be longer still; And thus there shall be the reckoning of the time of one planet above another, until thou come nigh unto Kolob, which Kolob is after the reckoning of the Lord's time; which Kolob is set nigh unto the throne of God, to govern all those planets which belong to the same order as that upon which thou standest.
The book, Mormon Doctrine, has further teaching about planets. I do not have the book, but I believe this teaching is on pages 321 and 516.
The Bible states nothing about having our own planets. I never understood how Ken was going to live on his mother's planet AND live on my planet with me and our children. Since our children would someday have their own planet with their own wives to bear their own spirit children, at what point will our children leave Ken's (and my) planet to be with their families? This was devastating for me that the LDS doctrine of "Families Can Be Together Forever" sounds great in theory, but there is no way that it is actually going to work.
In D&C 76:95, LDS are taught to become like God and be equal to Him.
And he makes them equal in power, and in might, and in dominion.
And in D&C 88:107
And then shall the angels be crowned with the glory of his might, and the saints shall be filled with his glory, and receive their inheritance and be made equal with him.
And in D&C 88:107
And then shall the angels be crowned with the glory of his might, and the saints shall be filled with his glory, and receive their inheritance and be made equal with him.
However, The Bible states that this is the very reason Satan was cast out of heaven.
Isaiah 46:5
"To whom will you liken Me, and make Me equal And compare Me, that we should be alike?"
Isaiah 14:12-15
"How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart: 'I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.' Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, To the lowest depths of the Pit.
Satan wanted to make himself "like the Most High" and this is exactly why he was cast out of heaven. He was trying to be like God.
Lucifer, an angel of God, in his heart wanted to be like God, and as a result was cast out of heaven. This verse would tell us that we cannot be like God, and I think it is safe to say it is wrong; a slap in God's face, to say that something that The Almighty created can be (or should want to be) equal to Him. If this was not a sin, an insult to God, He would not have cast him (Satan) out of heaven forever. ~ Bridgette & Jim Williamson, Mormons2Grace Ministry
So what is my point? I have no desire to become a goddess someday. I have no desire to become like God. He deserves all the glory and power; I do not need any nor do I want any glory or power; it's all His. I have no desire to try to be perfect like Him. I have no desire to pattern my life after Christ, as that is the very reason Satan was cast out of heaven. I have no desire for Ken to have a planet someday. And I have no desire to live on a planet someday and bear spirit children. I do have a desire to be the best Christian I can be, but by no means do I desire to try and live a perfect life as the Savior lived.
The LDS church teaches that apostates (people like me who have learned of the LDS gospel and denied it) will never receive even salvation and will live with Satan for Eternity. (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p 66; Journal of Discourses, Brigham Young, v 12, p 94) "If there is a despicable character on the face of the earth, it is an apostate from this church. He is a traitor who has deceived his best friends, betrayed his trust, and forfeited every principle of honor that God placed within him...They are disgraced in their own eyes. There is not much honesty within them; they have forfeited their heaven, sold their birthright, and betrayed their friends. What will the devil do with such characters? Will he have them in his kingdom? Yes, he will be obliged to, because he is an apostate himself...Yet, when apostates get to his kingdom, he will say-'I do not like you, for you are just as mean as I am. I was a traitor and a liar, and I am yet. I despise myself and every character that betrays his trust'...let apostates go."
Ouch, that hurts.
My unanswered question was:
Why would I want to be a part of a church that preaches a doctrine that we can become gods and be like Christ (the very reason Satan was cast out of heaven), and rule our own planet?
I was initially devastated when I received this answer that I do not want to be a part of this church, yet overjoyed to find the truth that I do not need to strive to be like God, something I will never be able to achieve, nor would I want to!
Satan wanted to make himself "like the Most High" and this is exactly why he was cast out of heaven. He was trying to be like God.
Lucifer, an angel of God, in his heart wanted to be like God, and as a result was cast out of heaven. This verse would tell us that we cannot be like God, and I think it is safe to say it is wrong; a slap in God's face, to say that something that The Almighty created can be (or should want to be) equal to Him. If this was not a sin, an insult to God, He would not have cast him (Satan) out of heaven forever. ~ Bridgette & Jim Williamson, Mormons2Grace Ministry
So what is my point? I have no desire to become a goddess someday. I have no desire to become like God. He deserves all the glory and power; I do not need any nor do I want any glory or power; it's all His. I have no desire to try to be perfect like Him. I have no desire to pattern my life after Christ, as that is the very reason Satan was cast out of heaven. I have no desire for Ken to have a planet someday. And I have no desire to live on a planet someday and bear spirit children. I do have a desire to be the best Christian I can be, but by no means do I desire to try and live a perfect life as the Savior lived.
The LDS church teaches that apostates (people like me who have learned of the LDS gospel and denied it) will never receive even salvation and will live with Satan for Eternity. (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p 66; Journal of Discourses, Brigham Young, v 12, p 94) "If there is a despicable character on the face of the earth, it is an apostate from this church. He is a traitor who has deceived his best friends, betrayed his trust, and forfeited every principle of honor that God placed within him...They are disgraced in their own eyes. There is not much honesty within them; they have forfeited their heaven, sold their birthright, and betrayed their friends. What will the devil do with such characters? Will he have them in his kingdom? Yes, he will be obliged to, because he is an apostate himself...Yet, when apostates get to his kingdom, he will say-'I do not like you, for you are just as mean as I am. I was a traitor and a liar, and I am yet. I despise myself and every character that betrays his trust'...let apostates go."
Ouch, that hurts.
My unanswered question was:
Why would I want to be a part of a church that preaches a doctrine that we can become gods and be like Christ (the very reason Satan was cast out of heaven), and rule our own planet?
I was initially devastated when I received this answer that I do not want to be a part of this church, yet overjoyed to find the truth that I do not need to strive to be like God, something I will never be able to achieve, nor would I want to!
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
ONE WIFE
Reason 9
God's Word is unchanging; forever; always has been and always will be.
Psalm 119:142-144
Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, And Your law is truth. Trouble and anguish have overtaken me, Yet Your commandments are my delights. The righteousness of Your testimonies is everlasting; Give me understanding, and I shall live.
Alma 41:8 in the Book of Mormon agrees with the Bible.
Now, the decrees of God are unalterable; therefore, the way is prepared that whosoever will may walk therein and be saved.
D&C 56:4-5, however, disagrees with the Bible and says God's Word can change.
Wherefore I, the Lord, command and revoke, as it seemeth me good; and all this to be answered upon the heads of the rebellious, saith the Lord. Wherefore, I revoke the commandment which was given unto my servants...and give a new commandment unto my servant...
If polygamy was not okay in the Old and New Testament Times, then it was not okay in the 1800s just as it is not okay today.
Genesis 2:24
Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.
Matthew 19:4-6 and Mark 10:6-9 and Ephesians 5:31
And He answered and said to them, "Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning 'made them male and female,' and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'? So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate."
Ephesians 5:33
Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.
The Bible condemns polygamy.
1 Timothy 3:2
A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach;
1 Timothy 3:12
Let deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well.
Titus 1:6
if a man is blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of dissipation or insubordination.
God does not change His mind. This includes monogamy.
The Book of Mormon condemns polygamy.
Jacob 1:15
And now it came to pass that the people of Nephi, under the reign of the second king, began to grow hard in their hearts, and indulge themselves somewhat in wicked practices, such as like unto David of old desiring many wives and concubines, and also Solomon, his son.
Jacob 2:24
Behold, David and Solomon truly had many wives and concubines, which thing was abominable before me, saith the Lord.
Jacob 3:5
Behold, the Lamanites your brethren, whom ye hate because of their filthiness and the cursing which hath come upon their skins, are more righteous than you; for they have not forgotten the commandment of the Lord, which was given unto our father-that they should have save it were one wife, and concubines they should have none, and there should not be whoredoms committed among them.
Mosiah 11:2
For behold, he did not keep the commandments of God, but he did walk after the desires of his own heart. And he had many wives and concubines. And he did cause his people to commit sin, and do that which was abominable in the sight of the Lord. Yea, and they did commit whoredoms and all manner of wickedness.
However, the Doctrine and Covenants commands polygamy.
D&C 132:1
Verily, thus saith the Lord unto you my servant Joseph, that inasmuch as you have inquired of my hand to know and understand wherein I, the Lord, justified my servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as also Moses, David and Solomon, my servants, as touching the principle and doctrine of their having many wives and concubines-
D&C 132:37-39
Abraham received concubines, and they bore him children; and it was accounted unto him for righteousness, because they were given unto him, and he abode in my law; as Isaac also and Jacob did none other things than that which they were commanded; and because they did none other things than that which they were commanded, they have entered into their exaltation, according to the promises, and sit upon thrones, and are not angels but are gods. David also received many wives and concubines, and also Solomon and Moses my servants, as also many others of my servants, from the beginning of creation until this time; and in nothing did they sin save in those things which they received not of me. David's wives and concubines were given unto him of me, by the hand of Nathan, my servant, and others of the prophets who had the keys of this power; and in none of these things did he sin against me save in the case of Uriah and his wife; and, therefore he hath fallen from his exaltation, and received his portion; and he shall not inherit them out of the world, for I gave them unto another, saith the Lord.
D&C 132:61
And again, as pertaining to the law of the priesthood-if any man espouse a virgin, and desire to espouse another, and the first give her consent, and if he espouse the second, and they are virgins, and have vowed to no other man, then is he justified; he cannot commit adultery for they are given unto him; for he cannot commit adultery with that that belongeth unto him and to no one else.
God claims to justify polygamy in these verses. I'm so confused; I cannot figure out if polygamy is condemned or commanded...
As a member, I was taught that polygamy was needed at the time it was practiced by Mormons. So many women and children were being left behind without a husband and father. Men were being sent off to wars, dying, etc. I was taught that Joseph Smith had a few wives in order to take care of them and their children who had no father.
I was also told that in the 1800s, the number of women outnumbered the men by a huge margin. The men needed to take as many wives as they could afford. All women needed to be able to multiply and replenish the earth as well as receive their temple ordinances to get to the celestial kingdom.
However, since leaving the church, I have learned that these are both false stories. Joseph Smith was married to at least 24 women, about ten of them under the age of 20 and one was 14 years of age. He also practiced polyandry, which means most of his wives were already married to other men when Joseph Smith married them. I was never told about polyandry and this is very upsetting to me. Please feel free to use the LDS source to verify this information.
familysearch.org This is an LDS church website.
familysearch.org/Joseph Smith (Joseph Smith's record)
Another source shows 33 wives were sealed to the prophet while he was alive.
And yet another source shows a total of 44 wives as more were sealed to him after his death.
wivesofjosephsmith.org
List_of_the_wives_of_Joseph_Smith,_Jr.
The number of women did not outnumber the number of men in the 1800s to justify polygamy.
exmormon.org/mormon/mormon199
(about halfway down the page is the population statistic)
LDS 12th Article of Faith
We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.
During the 1830s, monogamy was the US law, not polygamy or polyandry. Therefore, polygamy and polyandry were illegal in the US.
Whether Joseph Smith was married to 2, 24, 33, or 44 is irrelevant to me. The heartbreaking information is that God created Adam and Eve to multiply and replenish the earth, and He always wanted it this way. God did not create Adam and Eve and Abigail and Hannah and Julia and Leah and Martha and Naomi and Phoebe and Rachel and Rebecca and Ruth and Sarah and Susanna and Tabitha and Victoria. There is no way I will share my husband with another woman, nor would I care to have another husband. The bond that I have with Ken is unbreakable and I have no desire to have that union with anyone else; even if the prophet told me I had to.
Some Mormon Apostles taught that Jesus was married polygamously and had children while on earth.
mrm.org/jesus-married
There is nothing in the Bible about Jesus being married at all or having children. For such an important occasion in His life, I would think it should be mentioned at least one time in the Bible.
My unanswered question was:
How could any man, especially a prophet of God, justify marrying this many women of this age range, most with husbands already, when it is clearly against Biblical customs and the law?
I was initially devastated when I received this answer that it was unjustifiable, yet overjoyed to find the truth that polygamy and polyandry were not necessary and were certainly not revelation from God!
God's Word is unchanging; forever; always has been and always will be.
Psalm 119:142-144
Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, And Your law is truth. Trouble and anguish have overtaken me, Yet Your commandments are my delights. The righteousness of Your testimonies is everlasting; Give me understanding, and I shall live.
Alma 41:8 in the Book of Mormon agrees with the Bible.
Now, the decrees of God are unalterable; therefore, the way is prepared that whosoever will may walk therein and be saved.
D&C 56:4-5, however, disagrees with the Bible and says God's Word can change.
Wherefore I, the Lord, command and revoke, as it seemeth me good; and all this to be answered upon the heads of the rebellious, saith the Lord. Wherefore, I revoke the commandment which was given unto my servants...and give a new commandment unto my servant...
If polygamy was not okay in the Old and New Testament Times, then it was not okay in the 1800s just as it is not okay today.
Genesis 2:24
Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.
Matthew 19:4-6 and Mark 10:6-9 and Ephesians 5:31
And He answered and said to them, "Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning 'made them male and female,' and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'? So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate."
Ephesians 5:33
Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.
The Bible condemns polygamy.
1 Timothy 3:2
A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach;
1 Timothy 3:12
Let deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well.
Titus 1:6
if a man is blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of dissipation or insubordination.
God does not change His mind. This includes monogamy.
The Book of Mormon condemns polygamy.
Jacob 1:15
And now it came to pass that the people of Nephi, under the reign of the second king, began to grow hard in their hearts, and indulge themselves somewhat in wicked practices, such as like unto David of old desiring many wives and concubines, and also Solomon, his son.
Jacob 2:24
Behold, David and Solomon truly had many wives and concubines, which thing was abominable before me, saith the Lord.
Jacob 3:5
Behold, the Lamanites your brethren, whom ye hate because of their filthiness and the cursing which hath come upon their skins, are more righteous than you; for they have not forgotten the commandment of the Lord, which was given unto our father-that they should have save it were one wife, and concubines they should have none, and there should not be whoredoms committed among them.
Mosiah 11:2
For behold, he did not keep the commandments of God, but he did walk after the desires of his own heart. And he had many wives and concubines. And he did cause his people to commit sin, and do that which was abominable in the sight of the Lord. Yea, and they did commit whoredoms and all manner of wickedness.
However, the Doctrine and Covenants commands polygamy.
D&C 132:1
Verily, thus saith the Lord unto you my servant Joseph, that inasmuch as you have inquired of my hand to know and understand wherein I, the Lord, justified my servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as also Moses, David and Solomon, my servants, as touching the principle and doctrine of their having many wives and concubines-
D&C 132:37-39
Abraham received concubines, and they bore him children; and it was accounted unto him for righteousness, because they were given unto him, and he abode in my law; as Isaac also and Jacob did none other things than that which they were commanded; and because they did none other things than that which they were commanded, they have entered into their exaltation, according to the promises, and sit upon thrones, and are not angels but are gods. David also received many wives and concubines, and also Solomon and Moses my servants, as also many others of my servants, from the beginning of creation until this time; and in nothing did they sin save in those things which they received not of me. David's wives and concubines were given unto him of me, by the hand of Nathan, my servant, and others of the prophets who had the keys of this power; and in none of these things did he sin against me save in the case of Uriah and his wife; and, therefore he hath fallen from his exaltation, and received his portion; and he shall not inherit them out of the world, for I gave them unto another, saith the Lord.
D&C 132:61
And again, as pertaining to the law of the priesthood-if any man espouse a virgin, and desire to espouse another, and the first give her consent, and if he espouse the second, and they are virgins, and have vowed to no other man, then is he justified; he cannot commit adultery for they are given unto him; for he cannot commit adultery with that that belongeth unto him and to no one else.
God claims to justify polygamy in these verses. I'm so confused; I cannot figure out if polygamy is condemned or commanded...
As a member, I was taught that polygamy was needed at the time it was practiced by Mormons. So many women and children were being left behind without a husband and father. Men were being sent off to wars, dying, etc. I was taught that Joseph Smith had a few wives in order to take care of them and their children who had no father.
I was also told that in the 1800s, the number of women outnumbered the men by a huge margin. The men needed to take as many wives as they could afford. All women needed to be able to multiply and replenish the earth as well as receive their temple ordinances to get to the celestial kingdom.
However, since leaving the church, I have learned that these are both false stories. Joseph Smith was married to at least 24 women, about ten of them under the age of 20 and one was 14 years of age. He also practiced polyandry, which means most of his wives were already married to other men when Joseph Smith married them. I was never told about polyandry and this is very upsetting to me. Please feel free to use the LDS source to verify this information.
familysearch.org This is an LDS church website.
familysearch.org/Joseph Smith (Joseph Smith's record)
Another source shows 33 wives were sealed to the prophet while he was alive.
And yet another source shows a total of 44 wives as more were sealed to him after his death.
wivesofjosephsmith.org
List_of_the_wives_of_Joseph_Smith,_Jr.
The number of women did not outnumber the number of men in the 1800s to justify polygamy.
exmormon.org/mormon/mormon199
(about halfway down the page is the population statistic)
LDS 12th Article of Faith
We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.
During the 1830s, monogamy was the US law, not polygamy or polyandry. Therefore, polygamy and polyandry were illegal in the US.
Whether Joseph Smith was married to 2, 24, 33, or 44 is irrelevant to me. The heartbreaking information is that God created Adam and Eve to multiply and replenish the earth, and He always wanted it this way. God did not create Adam and Eve and Abigail and Hannah and Julia and Leah and Martha and Naomi and Phoebe and Rachel and Rebecca and Ruth and Sarah and Susanna and Tabitha and Victoria. There is no way I will share my husband with another woman, nor would I care to have another husband. The bond that I have with Ken is unbreakable and I have no desire to have that union with anyone else; even if the prophet told me I had to.
Some Mormon Apostles taught that Jesus was married polygamously and had children while on earth.
mrm.org/jesus-married
There is nothing in the Bible about Jesus being married at all or having children. For such an important occasion in His life, I would think it should be mentioned at least one time in the Bible.
My unanswered question was:
How could any man, especially a prophet of God, justify marrying this many women of this age range, most with husbands already, when it is clearly against Biblical customs and the law?
I was initially devastated when I received this answer that it was unjustifiable, yet overjoyed to find the truth that polygamy and polyandry were not necessary and were certainly not revelation from God!
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