TEMPLE

Reason 27

Christians believe our bodies are the temple. Mormons agree, but also believe the temple is a building to perform sacred ordinances.


     Acts 17:24
God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. 


     1 Corinthians 3:16-17
Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.

     1 Corinthians 6:19
Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?

     2 Corinthians 6:16
And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will dwell in them And walk among them. I will be their God, And they shall be My people."

     Ephesians 2:19-22
Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. 

     Ephesians 3:17
that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love,

The Old Testament Temple was actually used for animal sacrifice, not marriage, baptism, or other ceremonies. Christ fulfilled the OT use of the temple. We are now the spiritual temple of God.

     And article about Temples
mormonhandbook.com/home/temples

     A video about Temples
ldsvideo.org/2011/04/mormon-temple

Mormons claim they are the one true church as they have "the temple." They overlook the fact that God tore the veil of the temple when Christ died (signifying the entrance into the holy of Holies). Now a person can come to the throne room of God through faith in Christ who is represented as the veil. The old temple ritual is over! The Mormons are trying to sew the curtain back up. (Let the Scriptures Speak, p. 40, Suzanne Bishop)

     Mormon Doctrine, p. 779
Temples are holy sanctuaries wherein sacred ordinances, rites, and ceremonies are performed which pertain to salvation and exaltation in the kingdom of God. 

The temple is a necessity because they [LDS] believe that certain ordinances are only effective when performed in the temple. (Approaching Mormons in Love, pp. 45-48, Wilbur Lingle)

A few of these ordinances are

1. Celestial Marriage
2. Endowments
3. Sealings
4. Other Ordinances - where the living perform the ordinances for their dead relatives or others to help them achieve exaltation.

I attended the temple many times while I was lds. Every time was just as unsettling as the time before. I always felt extremely uncomfortable inside the temple. The clothes, signs, tokens, ordinances, prayers, etc. were very troubling to me. Friends who were also members continued telling me, "Just keep going back. It will begin to make sense if you attend often enough with a sincere heart." Well, it never began to make sense to me. It only brought up more questions that no one would answer.

My unanswered question was:

Since the Bible tells us in Acts 17:24 that God does not dwell in temples made with hands, why does the lds church build temple after temple to perform sacred ceremonies?

I was initially devastated when I received this answer that the true God really does not dwell in lds temples, yet overjoyed to find the truth that He now dwells in my heart! I certainly do not need to attend a temple to have God with me.

GOD IS INCOMPREHENSIBLE

Reason 26

A major reason I joined the LDS church was the fact that it made so much sense. Everything was logical. There were no more mysteries about God, Heaven, or my purpose in life. The missionaries continued teaching how the Presbyterian Church was missing doctrines and important truths. In fact, they taught that all other churches were an abomination and were missing pieces of the Christian puzzle. The lds belief is: their church is the only church on earth that has the fullness of the gospel containing the complete truth. The lds church has God all figured out, and they are able to comprehend everything about Him.

However, the Bible tells us God's understanding is infinite and unsearchable.
     Psalm 147:5
"Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite."

     Isaiah 40:28
"Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable."

     Isaiah 55:8
"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," says the LORD.
          (~ Chuck Smith ~ I will vouch for that. I don't understand so many times why God does the things He does. His thoughts are not my thoughts. Nor are His ways my ways. I would do many things much differently. I wouldn't do them more wisely; I'd just do them differently. But you see, the difference between God's thoughts and my thoughts, and God's ways and my ways, is that God knows the end from the beginning. Therefore, He doesn't do something and wonder if it's right. When He does it, He knows it's right. Now the way I do things, I do them and I hope it's right. And sometimes it is. But many times it isn't. But when I started doing it, I was sure it was.
So many times I think that this is the best way; and then I find out it isn't. There was a much better way. ~ Blue Letter Bible Commentary by Chuck Smith)

     1 Corinthians 2:7
But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory,

In contrary to the Biblical teaching of God, Joseph Smith taught the following:
     When we comprehend the character of God, we comprehend ourselves and know how to approach Him.....If men do not comprehend the character of God, they do not comprehend themselves. (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pp. 39-41)

A good friend told me how sad she is that God is unreachable to me. It breaks my heart to know she misunderstands me entirely. Never in my Christian life have I said or felt God is unreachable. As a Mormon, I didn't even know who God really was, so I certainly had no idea it was possible for Him to reach me. As a Christian, I am now able to allow God into my life instead of constantly attempting to reach God myself. As a Mormon, I would strive so hard every single day to make sure God knew how hard I was trying to be perfect, or live a life free of sin. But somehow, I never ever felt good enough to receive God's love. I wasn't even sure I would end up in heaven when I died. I always felt I did not deserve God's love because I was not good enough nor was I trying hard enough. This was a never-ending battle I dealt with as a Mormon. I am so incredibly grateful for my time as a Mormon because it gave me the knowledge I have now. Just because our human minds are incapable of comprehending God, does not mean we do not have the capability of allowing God to reach us. We will never be able to comprehend God's wisdom, love, and understanding until we are in His presence.

I know God is omniscient. Webster's definition of omniscient: having infinite awareness, understanding, and insight; possessed of universal or complete knowledge.

In Christianity, God reaches down to man. In Mormonism, man attempts to reach God. ~ Suzanne Bishop

My unanswered question was:

If the Bible tells us God's understanding is infinite and unsearchable, why does the lds church insist to have Him all figured out?

I was initially devastated when I received this answer that the lds church does not have the Christian God figured out, yet overjoyed to find the truth that no human has the capability to understand God. The flaws were not in me; the flaws were in the teachings I was receiving from the lds church. I finally know God, and I am extremely grateful to have Him in my life every second of every day! I am so Blessed to have gone on such a heartbreaking yet wonderful journey, because now I know God loves me despite my imperfections!

TITHING

Reason 25

Growing up as a Presbyterian, I was taught that Tithing is 10% of ourselves, not solely income. When we gave our time, our talents, our knowledge, our love, etc. it was all considered tithing. We were not required to pay 10% of our entire income as the lds church requires.

     D&C 119:3-4
And this shall be the beginning of the tithing of my people. And after that, those who have thus been tithed shall pay one-tenth of all their interest annually; and this shall be a standing law unto them forever, for my holy priesthood, saith the Lord.

     The following link is from For the Strength of Youth, a small booklet given to all youth of the lds church.
lds.org/youth/for-the-strength-of-youth/tithes-and-offerings

     From lds.org
lds.org/scriptures/gs/tithes-tithing
The Guide to the Scriptures
Tithes, Tithing
A tenth part of a person's annual increase given to the Lord through the Church. Tithing funds are used to build churches and temples, to sustain missionary work, and to build the kingdom of God on earth.


He that is tithed shall not be burned at his coming, D&C 64:23 (D&C 85:3)
Behold, now it is called today until the coming of the Son of Man, and verily it is a day of sacrifice, and a day for the tithing of my people; for he that is tithed shall not be burned at his coming.

It is contrary to the will and commandment of God that those who receive not their inheritance by consecration, agreeable to his law, which he has given, that he may tithe his people, to prepare them against the day of vengeance and burning, should have their names enrolled with the people of God.
(D&C 85:3)
The Lord's house will be built by the tithing of his people, D&C 97:11-12
Yea, let it be built speedily, by the tithing of my people. Behold, this is the tithing and the sacrifice which I, the Lord, require at their hands, that there may be a house built unto me for the salvation of Zion-


Tithing shall be disposed of by a council, D&C 120
Verily, thus saith the Lord, the time is now come, that it shall be disposed of by a council, composed of the First Presidency of my Church, and of the bishop and his council, and by my high council; and by mine own voice unto them, saith the Lord. Even so. Amen.

     Talk from October 2002 General Conference -- Tithing: A Test of Faith with Eternal Blessings, Robert D. Hales
lds.org/general-conference/2002/10/tithing-a-test-of-faith-with-eternal-blessings

Not one ounce of my being believes that a person who does not tithe 10% of their income will be burned at His coming. I also do not believe God would deny Heaven to someone who has not tithed 10% of their entire income during their lifetime.

My unanswered question was:

Why would I pay tithing first, even when I don't have enough money to meet my other needs?

I was initially devastated when I received this answer that tithing should not be my first sacrifice, yet overjoyed to find the truth that I should sacrifice myself first and foremost. By taking care of my family, God will take care of us even more! My first priority as a mother is to take care of my husband and children. God does not need 10% of my "income." He needs 100% of ME!