Mormonism (Part 2)

BACKGROUND

Joseph Smith

Background

Lived in upstate New York

In 1820 at the age of 14 he was trying to determine which church to join (Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian)

Each one claimed to be the true church so which one was right?

He began to read the Bible and pray to ask God for wisdom on which church to join

Revelations

• First Revelation

As Joseph began to pray, supposedly an overwhelming force bound his body and tongue and thick darkness enveloped him

Just when he thought he would die, a pillar of light descended from Heaven and delivered him from the darkness

Supposedly the Heavenly Father and Jesus appeared before him

Jesus told him that all of the creeds of denominations were an abomination and their professors were all corrupt and he should join none of them

Later Revelation

After three years of living a rebellions lifestyle, Joseph Smith began seeking for another revelation

That night supposedly an angel named Moroni appeared to him and told him that God had a great work for him and that he would receive a book written on plates of gold that contained the fullness of the everlasting gospel

He was told that he would found a new church and restore the truth to the world

History of the Mormon Church

Originally established in April of 1830 in Palmyra, New York after Joseph Smith supposedly received the golden plates from the angel Moroni and translated it to produce the Book of Mormon

Joseph gained followers in New York and soon other missionaries began spreading the Mormon religion

They believed that the original gospel message had been distorted soon after the original apostles died which they call the great Apostasy

They established temples in Kirtland, Ohio and Independence, Missouri as they moved westward

A prophecy by Joseph Smith identified a valley near Independence, Missouri as the original location of the Garden of Eden and the future site of New Jerusalem

Because of persecution, Brigham Young led the growing congregation to Nauvoo, Illinois while Joseph Smith was imprisoned

Eventually Smith escaped to Nauvoo and took over as mayor and directed the construction of a large temple which was completed in 1846

It was during this time in Nauvoo where Smith began to teach some of the doctrines of Mormonism

After Smith’s death there was a dispute over the succession of leadership which led to the eventual formation of several different sects with different church leaders claiming authority

The main issue that divided the different sects was their position on plural marriage

The Two Main Sects of Mormons:

Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

They eventually settled in Utah and built a Temple and the city that became Salt Lake City

The Temple still remains today and their headquarters is directly across the street from the Temple

The office of the president of the Mormons has passed from Brigham Young to 17 different men to the current president Russell M. Nelson

The president is the head of the Mormon church and is considered a modern prophet, seer, and revelator

The Mormon Church Today

The LDS Church claims to have over 17 million members worldwide

In 2014 they reported that 84,000 missionaries were actively spreading the Mormon faith on 6 continents

They translate their materials into 200 different languages

There are nearly 150 temples used for religious services

The church runs three universities named after Brigham Young, an early prophet, in Utah, Idaho, and Hawaii

BELIEFS

Books

The Bible

Book of Mormon

The Doctrine and Covenants

The Pearl of Great Price

Worship Practices

Typically meet for Sunday School and worship service on Sundays

These meetings take place in the ward chapels, where several local wards make up a stake (similar to a presbytery or diocese)

Meetings at the ward and stake are held regularly

Meetings look much like a typical evangelical service:

Classes are offered for different age groups

Hymns are sung

Communion is offered

Prayers are spoken

Speakers present teaching

Temples

The ward chapels are open to anyone, but the Temples are restricted to members of the church in good standing

Certain areas of the Temples are restricted to those holding certain levels of the Mormon priesthood and those they are ministering to and requires an identification card

Activities:

Endowment Ceremony:

Certain doctrines are taught and ceremonies performed

Typically happens just before young people go on their mission or before they are married

Converts can also receive this endowment

Marriages

All marriages are performed in the Temple

Families are “sealed” to each other for eternity

Ordinances for the Dead

Proxy baptisms are performed for dead family members

Proxy sealing ordinances are performed so that their marriages and families may continue after death

Authority

Mormons believe that the true gospel was revealed to Joseph Smith through revelations from the Heavenly Father and Jesus

The Bible is not the ultimate authority for the LDS faithful, but it is the ideas of man as they receive ongoing revelations

Distinctive Beliefs

Godhead

Deny the Trinity

In principle, they teach a polytheistic view

Their first Article of Faith states: “We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost”

This sounds Trinitarian, but they distinguish between each person of the Godhead as separate beings

The online resources of the LDS church describes their view of God:

“These three beings make up the Godhead. They preside over this world and all other creations of our Father in Heaven. The Mormon view of the members of the Godhead corresponds in a number of ways with the views of others in the Christian world, but with significant differences. Latter-day Saints pray to God the Father in the name of Jesus Christ. They acknowledge the Father as the ultimate object of their worship, the Son as Lord and Redeemer, and the Holy Spirit as the messenger and revealer of the Father and the Son. But where Latter-day Saints differ from other Christian religions is in their belief that God and Jesus Christ are glorified, physical beings and each member of the Godhead is a separate being.”

Heavenly Father

In Mormonism, the Heavenly Father is referred to as Elohim

Elohim, they believe, was once a man who was created by another god (who was created by another god) and earned his status as god by being glorified through obedience to his spiritual father

The chief god of Mormonism is a created being who progressed through degrees of sanctification to eventually become a god

In Mormonism this is referred to as the law of eternal progression and applies to all spiritual beings in the universe

Therefore, Mormons teach that humans can achieve godhead by being obedient to the “laws and ordinances of the gospel”

In their teaching, the Heavenly Father is a man of flesh and blood who has been exalted to this position

Supposedly the Heavenly Father currently resides on a planet near the star Kolob (Abraham 3:1-4) so they deny the omnipresence of God

Excerpt from a sermon from Joseph Smith called the King Follett sermon:

“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 for I am going to tell you how God came to be God. We have imagined and supposed that God was God from all eternity. I will refute that idea, and take away the veil, so that you may see. These ideas are incomprehensible to some, but they are simple. It is the first principle of the gospel to know for a certainty the character of God, and to know that we may converse with Him as one man converses with another, and that He was once a man like us; yea, that God himself, the Father of us all, dwelt on an earth, the same as Jesus Christ Himself did; and I will show it from the Bible.”

Lorenzo Snow, the fifth president of the Mormon church, coined a well-known couplet to portray the law of eternal progression:

“As man now is, God once was: As God now is, man may be”

Jesus

Mormons teach that Jesus is the firstborn spirit child of the Heavenly Father and Mother in a period known as the preexistence

Mormons can claim that Jesus is the “firstborn over all creation” (Colossians 1:15) but must deny that He is the “Creator of all things” (Colossians 1:16) since they teach Jesus is a created being

Mormons teach that the Heavenly Father has sired billions of other spirit creatures like Jesus, but that Jesus is the firstborn

Claim that Lucifer was the second-born which makes Jesus and Lucifer brothers

Brigham Young claimed that God the Father directly sired Jesus with Mary in the flesh and not in a supernatural way

They also claim that Mary temporarily became the legal wife of the Heavenly Father so that He could sire Jesus Christ

This teaching denies the virgin conception of Mary taught in the Bible

The Holy Spirit

Deny that the Holy Spirit is a person of the Trinity

Rather than possessing a physical body as they teach the Father and Son have, the Holy Spirit is only spirit

Teach the Holy Spirit can influence people to do good and protect from harm

After water baptism, members of the Melchizedek priesthood can lay hands of an individual to impart the gift of the Holy Spirit

Mankind

Mormons teach all of humanity are children of the Heavenly Father and Mother(s)

They claim that the Heavenly Father has at least one wife with whom he has produced spiritual children

It is the role of families on earth to provide bodies for the spirit children to inhabit and go through a probationary testing here on earth to determine their worthiness to return to live with Heavenly Father

Mormons acknowledge the consequence of physical death for sin, but not spiritual death

Mormons deny any condemnation from Adam’s original sin and focus on individual disobedience as the source for loss of rewards in the afterlife

Salvation

Mormons teach atonement through Jesus Christ but their concept of atonement is unbiblical

Mormons teach that salvation is received by obedience to the “laws and ordinances of the Gospel”

Mormon teaching on salvation is based on works, not faith

Mormons also teach that the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ occurred in the Garden of Gethsemane only to be completed on the Cross

Degrees of Glory in Heaven and Hell

Mormons teach that almost all people will be saved from condemnation that leads to punishment in hell, known as outer darkness, and enter into one of the three levels of heaven (Doctrines and Covenants 76:31-37; 76:40-15)

The three levels of Heaven are:

Celestial kingdom – highest

Terrestrial kingdom – middle

Telestial kingdom – lowest

Within the Celestial kingdom there are three degrees of glory (Doctrines and Covenants 131:1-4)

Those who have not responded to the gospel or continued in the gospel will enter a place known as the Spirit Prison (Doctrine and Covenants 138:32)

In Spirit Prison they are taught the gospel and offered a second chance to repent, which if they do, they are moved to Paradise

Hell is referred to as outer darkness and is reserved for Lucifer and those who fought with him in the battle in preexistence

Mormons who have turned from the faith and denied the Mormon teaching will receive resurrected bodies to rule in hell (Doctrines and Covenants 76:30-49)

Eternal Progression

Mormon men who achieve the Celestial kingdom have the opportunity to progress toward godhood

If granted godhood, Elohim grants him the ability to organize his own planet where his wives will produce spirit children to continue the cycle of the four stages of existence: premortal existence, mortal life, spirit life, and resurrected life

Modern Prophets

Joseph Smith understood himself to be the first of the modern prophets who were to bring the restoration of the fullness of the gospel

Smith reestablished the office of the Apostle in the same form as the 12 Apostles who walked with Jesus which are said to have the keys of the kingdom of God and serve as modern prophets

In addition, the Council of 70 are called to serve the church in ways similar to the Jewish council of elders

Modern Priesthood

In 1829 Smith claims that John the Baptist appeared to him and another Mormon Oliver Cowdery and laid hands on them to confer the Aaronic priesthood on them.

Smith later claims that Peter, James, and John appeared to him to confer on him and Cowdery the Melchizedek priesthood

Baptism and Laying on of Hands

Mormons are typically baptized at age 8

Baptism must be by complete immersion and must be performed by someone with the proper priestly authority

They also perform baptisms on behalf of the dead

They teach that you must be baptized in water in order to enter one of the three levels of heaven

After baptism in water, Mormons believe that the laying on of hands for receiving the Holy Spirit is a requirement to obey the gospel

Scriptures

The Bible

Mormons use the KJV of the Bible

Claim that the Bible, even the KJV, has been corrupted over time

Smith sought to rewrite the Bible to correct “errors” which was never completed but is known as the JST

The Book of Mormon

Mormons claim it is the “most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts than by any other book”

Said to be translated from a set of golden plates that Joseph Smith received after their location was revealed to him by the angel Moroni

He also received a breastplate and spectacles which are sometimes referred to as the Urim and Thummim

The spectacles gave him the power to translate “by the gift and power of God”

Doctrine and Covenants

D&C primarily includes revelations, noted in section not chapters, given to Joseph Smith about specific points of doctrine as well as explanations of passages

Most of Mormon doctrine is found in the D&C

The Pearl of Great Price

A collection of writings added to the LDS cannon in 1880

The Book of Moses includes what Smith claimed to be a translation of writings of Moses, although what is written is not found in any form of the Hebrew Bible

The Book of Abraham is claimed to be a translation of a set of Egyptian papyri he purchased in 1835 which included references to existence of Kolob (Abraham 3:3) and the spirits in the preexistence (Abraham 3:22)

Includes a portion of Gospel of Matthew from Smith

Includes a history of Joseph Smith

Includes 13 “Articles of Faith”

Masonic Influence

Joseph Smith and Brigham Young were both involved in Freemasonry

The influence of Freemasonry on Mormon architecture and rituals is evident

Joseph’s father was a Master Freemason

Mormons have a square and compass markings on their temple garments that match the symbols of Freemasonry

Occult Influence

Joseph Smith practiced an occult ritual known “glass looking” where he used a seer stone to “see” where objects were buried

Smith reportedly used this seer stone to interpret the golden plates

The same technique he used to locate buried treasure was used to translate the Book of Mormon

Polygamy

The teaching of polygamy has changed over time within Mormonism

Joseph Smith had approximately 40 wives

Most modern Mormons reject polygamy

However some fundamentalist groups still practice polygamy

Word of Wisdom

Dietary standard

Abstain from alcohol, caffeine, various narcotic and hallucinogenic drugs, tobacco, tea, and coffee and eat meat sparingly and grains in abundance (D&C 89)

Through obedience to these food laws they are promised blessings of body, mind, and spirit

Angels

Mormons believe angels are not spiritual beings created by God distinct from humans, but are spirit children along with all offspring of the Heavenly Father (D&C 129:1-3)

Believe that angels are messengers who were once people who lived on the earth and are now spirits

Angel Moroni was the prophet Moroni

Angel Gabriel was Noah

Angel Michael was Adam (D&C 107:54)

CHRISTIAN RESPONSE

General guidelines for all false religions and cults:

Understand that they are deceived by false doctrine.

They are likely sincere and dedicated to their beliefs.

They may not be open to listening to your beliefs initially.

Be willing to invest time and develop a level of trust and respect with them.

Demonstrate Godly love and that you truly care about them.

Do not act arrogant or condescending toward their beliefs.

Share your testimony of what Jesus has done for you.

Offer to pray with them and allow an opportunity for the Holy Spirit to speak to their heart.

Specific Guidelines for Witnessing to Mormons

Understand Differences in Terminology

Mormons use similar terminology, but their meanings are different than Christianity

For example, they use the word “salvation,” but for them it means something different than it does for us

Be prepared to ask questions about key terms

Use these questions as a conversation starter about topics like salvation, the deity of Jesus Christ, the doctrine of the Trinity, etc.

Ask Thought-Provoking Questions

You talk a lot about the atonement. What does that mean to you?

Have you ever been baptized for a dead person? Why do you do that? Where do you find that teaching in the Bible?

Can you explain why there are modern prophets and why they don’t always agree?

I know some prophets have taught that Adam was Elohim (God). Do you believe that?

Discuss Grace versus Works

Mormons may appear confident, but most Mormons fear not being good enough to earn salvation

Take the opportunity to enforce this belief and tell them that without simple faith in Jesus Christ, none of us are good enough

If you can get them to acknowledge that their righteousness is as filthy rags, you are well on your way to leading them to the Cross of Jesus Christ

Focus on Witnessing about Jesus rather than Debating the distinctive beliefs of Mormonism

Mormons, and believers in any other religious group for that matter, will likely become defensive if you come across as simply attacking their beliefs

Explain how Jesus became our substitute on the Cross and that faith in His blood is the only means of salvation

QUESTIONS?