No Apologies Part 2
Notes
Transcript
Mormonism
Mormonism
Intro
Good Evening everyone!
I hope you are all doing well!
We are going to be picking up in our series No Apologies— a study of different religions.
Last week we looked at Atheist and Agnostics.
And before we begin tonight I want to remind everyone that I am not an expert in this by any means, yet I have done quite a bit of studying this week.
Our religion that we are going to be studying tonight is Mormonism.
Mormonism has over 16 million members worldwide.
In the U.S., there are over 6 million members.
Famous Mormons:
· Mitt Romney
· Jon Heder (Napoleon Dynamite)
● Stephenie Meyer (Twilight author)
● Bryce Harper
● Keala Settle (The Greatest Showman)
Mormonism is often lumped in with Christianity.
However, the true Mormon faith would say that both Protestants and Catholics are wrong, and only the Mormons have the right belief.
Let’s talk briefly about their history.
What I am about to tell you is official Mormon belief.
It is not from Wikipedia or a Christian site talking about Mormons.
This is straight from the official Mormon website.
In 1805, Joseph Smith was born in Vermont.
At age 14, he was debating about whether he should join the Protestant church or the Roman Catholic church.
It is believed that God and Jesus appeared to Joseph Smith in a vision and told him that all these other denominations had fallen away.
He was asked not to join any of them, and Joseph promised to restore the true faith.
When Smith was 17, the angel Moroni appeared to him and told him the location of these golden plates, on which was written the history of two ancient Native American Christian tribes.
Joseph went to the site and found golden plates written by Ether, Mormon, Lehi and Nephi (ancient Native American authors), and a brass plate consisting of Hebrew Scripture quotations and genealogies written by Laban.
Also, there were these two stones that helped him translate these plates.
Unfortunately, he was not allowed to remove any of the artifacts from the site.
He translated the tablets into the books the Mormons have today using the special translating stones.
The tablets translated tell the story of how Jesus appeared in America after His death and resurrection in Jerusalem.
After translating these tablets, John the Baptist, Peter, Paul, and James (as resurrected beings) all appeared to Joseph Smith and appointed themselves as priests and elders of a new church.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was founded in 1830 and gained 1,000 followers within its first year.
Mormonism began in New York State.
However, due to persecution, the Mormons ended up literally leaving the US to go into Utah.
At that time, Utah was not yet a part of the United States and was owned by Mexico.
Today, there are 16 million members in the Mormon Church. Over 60% of the population in Utah is Mormon.
The most popular university for Mormons is Brigham Young University or BYU.
The Mormon faith says that they are the church of “Jesus Christ,” but let’s talk about what they believe specifically.
One of the main differences between the Mormon faith and Christianity is their belief of God.
Belief of God According to Mormons
Belief of God According to Mormons
Mormons believe, "The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man's; the Son also..." --Doctrine and Covenants, 130:22
So, Mormons believe that God wasn’t a supreme being, but He gained that position through righteous living.
In other words, He was a human being like you and me but lived a very good life.
When He died, then He was exulted as God and is able to rule over our universe.
Mormons regard God as the all-powerful, all-good ruler of the universe who also loves and cares for humans.
However, they do not believe in the Trinity.
His relationship with us is more personal than you think.
I will explain that in a second as we talk about what Christians believe about God.
Belief of God According to Christians
Belief of God According to Christians
God always existed: Psalm 90:2; 1 Tim 1:17
Before the mountains were brought forth,
or ever you had formed the earth and the world,
from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
· God was not created, but He is the Creator: Isaiah 37:16
“O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth.
· He is perfect, and no one compares to Him: Psalm 86:8; Isaiah 40:25
There is none like you among the gods, O Lord,
nor are there any works like yours.
To whom then will you compare me,
that I should be like him? says the Holy One.
· God the Father is not and never was a man: Numbers 23:19; 1 Samuel 15:29; Hosea 11:9
God is not man, that he should lie,
or a son of man, that he should change his mind.
Has he said, and will he not do it?
Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?
And also the Glory of Israel will not lie or have regret, for he is not a man, that he should have regret.”
I will not execute my burning anger;
I will not again destroy Ephraim;
for I am God and not a man,
the Holy One in your midst,
and I will not come in wrath.
· God is Spirit: John 4:24
God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
· Spirit is not made of flesh and bone: Luke 24:39
See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.”
Jesus according to Mormons
Jesus according to Mormons
Mormons hold too many beliefs in common with us, the second biggest difference between our beliefs is about Jesus.
Both claim Jesus as Son of God, Jesus as the Savior of humanity, and that Jesus was in existence before His physical birth.
We also hold common to the belief that Jesus was predicted by prophets before His birth and that the virgin birth, crucifixion, and resurrection happened.
However, Mormons don’t believe that Jesus is God or that Jesus is eternal.
They believe that in the book of Moses, Jesus and Satan contend for the privilege of taking a body of flesh in order to become the redeemer.
Jesus won.
Jesus according to Christians
Jesus according to Christians
· Jesus is God: John 1:1
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
· Jesus is eternal and not created: John 1:2; Colossians 1:15
He was in the beginning with God.
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
Another major difference in belief is about human nature and our purpose.
Our Purpose According to Mormons
Our Purpose According to Mormons
This is the interesting part.
Mormons don’t just believe in a Heavenly Father; they also believe in a Heavenly Mother.
You and I, before we were born, live with God in Heaven as His spirit babies.
God wanted us to grow through experiences, so He sent us to Earth to experience life.
We don’t remember what happened before, but our life is to search back for Him.
Mormon doctrine (belief) says:
“You didn’t suddenly spring into existence the moment you were born. You were happy in Heavenly Father’s presence, but He knew that you needed more in order to progress. You did not have a physical body like you do now, and you needed a chance to gain experience on your own—away from His presence, but with the ability to communicate with Him and receive help. So He sent you to Earth, hoping that you would return to Him and receive everything He has to offer you. Before you were born, you lived with your Heavenly Father as one of His beloved spirit children. You knew and loved Him, and He knew and loved you. Although you have forgotten your life before you were born, your Heavenly Father has not. He knows you and loves you. He wants you to come to know and love Him, too.” (LDS Website)
They don’t believe people are born sinful.
People have freewill to be good or evil.
The LDS church is here to help them find their way back to God.
Our Purpose according to Christians
Our Purpose according to Christians
· You and your soul didn’t come into existence until conception: Psalm 139:13
For you formed my inward parts;
you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
· We are crippled by original sin and at conception have sin: 1 Corinthians 15:22; Psalm 51:5
For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.
Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
and in sin did my mother conceive me.
Let’s talk about another major difference—salvation.
SALVATION According to Mormons
SALVATION According to Mormons
Salvation in the Mormon Church is all about finding your way back home to God.
Salvation comes from a mixture of faith in Jesus and good works.
From the official LDS website:
· "If you are to return to live with God eternally, you must keep His commandments, accept Jesus Christ’s Atonement, and follow His example while you are on Earth."
· "We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.... [the] ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost."
To summarize these and other Mormon statements, salvation can be achieved by:
· Believing in God and Jesus
· Doing good (being kind, fair, loving, etc.)
· Developing moral character
· Repenting of sins and attaining forgiveness through Jesus Christ
· Being baptized and participating in other Mormon ordinances
· Spreading the Mormon faith
Salvation according to Christians
Salvation according to Christians
· Man is separated from God because of sin and needs a savior: Romans 3:23; Romans 6:23
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
· You are saved not by any works, but by grace and faith: Eph. 2:8-9
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
· Baptism doesn’t save you, but it is a sign of commitment.
· Doing good doesn’t save you, but doing good is the overflow of being saved.
The Word According to Mormons
The Word According to Mormons
Mormons recognize four main texts as divinely inspired and authoritative Scripture.
These are called the "Standard Works." These include:
· The Christian Bible (King James Version).
· The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ, which is an English translation from the golden plates that was first published in 1830.
It is a record of God's work and Jesus’ appearance among the ancient natives of North America.
· The Doctrine and Covenants: "a collection of revelations and inspired declarations" composed of 138 revelations from God.
Out of the 138, 135 were recorded by Joseph Smith, one each by John Taylor, Brigham Young, and Joseph F. Smith, and there are two "official declarations" which are more recent revelations.
These more recent revelations were added decades later.
One was added in 1890 concerning polygamy (having more than one wife), and one was added in 1978 concerning the role of black persons in the Church.
· The Pearl of Great Price is another text.
It is composed of two lost books of the Bible, which are the Book of Moses and the Book of Abraham, a translation of the Gospel of Matthew, Joseph Smith’s history, and includes the Mormon’s 13 Articles of Faith.
Mormons believe that errors have crept into the copying of the Bible throughout history and that additional errors have been caused by translating the Bible poorly into English from the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek.
In cases of conflict between the Bible and the other Mormon texts, the Mormon texts override the Bible.
In other words, no one questions the other three books; only the Bible is questioned.
Death and the afterlife are other topics we need to address.
Mormons believe that all humans who die will live eternally.
Their spirits will go to the spirit world, where they will undergo instruction and preparation.
Then, "after a time," there will be the resurrection, at which time the spirits will be reunited with their bodies forever.
Mormons believe in heaven, which is defined as "the place where God lives and the future home of those who follow Him."
Faithful Mormons and their families will live in the presence of God and be rewarded in accordance with what they have done during their lives.
Joseph Smith also taught that families can live together forever in heaven if they are "sealed" through special temple ceremonies.
What about non-Mormons?
They say on their website: "Those who choose not to follow our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ will receive a reward according to what they have done in this life, but they will not enjoy the glory of living in the presence of God."
Mormons do believe in hell.
Those who did not repent while on Earth will experience a temporary hell after death, but then they will have an opportunity to repent afterwards and avoid the eternal hell.
Hell, as an eternal place of misery, is inhabited only by Satan and those who explicitly reject "the Heavenly Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost" even after the period of instruction after death.
Some Mormons believe that they will get their own planet one day if they get chosen to be exalted and then become God and have Spirit babies.
After learning so much about the Mormon faith, we can see that we differ in major areas.
As believers we believe that the word of God is our Bible, and only our Bible.
Tonight, I want to finish with two thoughts. Galatians 1:6-9 says:
I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.
A lot of these cultish/false religions begin after a person has a significant spiritual experience.
Joesph Smith, David Koresh (Waco), Charles Manson, Jim Jones,
This passage says that even if an angel from heaven were to come down to you and give you a spiritual experience, if it doesn’t line up with the true gospel, then it isn’t from God.
On an official Mormon website.
There is a paragraph that says this:
“God chose Joseph Smith as a prophet much as He chose the ancient prophets—from among the most humble and unlikely of candidates.
As a 14-year-old farm boy in New York, Joseph Smith first saw God and Jesus Christ in a vision when he prayed about which church to join.
Over the years he was visited by other heavenly messengers, one of whom directed him to a set of buried, golden tablets that he translated by the power of God to what we now refer to as the Book of Mormon.
As difficult as it is to comprehend modern-day miracles such as this, nonbelievers have a much harder time explaining how an uneducated boy was able to produce scriptures that have enriched and blessed the lives of so many.”
Experiences can’t be our standard of truth.
Just because you have an experience, doesn’t mean it is true.
Can Satan create experiences?
Yes!
Experiences that go in line with the truth of the gospel are the only things we should put value in.
Outside of that, it is just an experience that may or may not mean anything.
Be careful with experiences or the experiences from other people.
We must be careful to not go on an experience chase.
Even if it sounds amazing, if it contradicts or adds/takes away from God’s Word, it is off.
Brittni and I had really close friends in college— they were like mentors to us— they kept on wanting an experience— and they found one.
It is a church in Kansas City were they believe that if you do not speak in tongues then you are not saved— you must be baptized by fire— they have some experiences that is for sure.
However Brittni and I went down there to experience this and nothing happened to us, I personal believe that God was protecting us from something that is false.
The last thing I want to address is that Mormons are some of the nicest people you will ever meet.
The way they treat each other and the way they treat those who don’t believe what they believe is sometimes even better than how Christians treat each other.
They focus a ton on family, community, and hard work.
Many Mormons are amazing at business.
Every Mormon I have ever talked to was super kind and gentle and never wanted to fight or argue.
I think they put us to shame in that at times.
They are not perfect by any means, but when you see them, they love their god with everything they can, loving each other, and loving outsiders.
Sometimes, God will allow blessings to fall on those who are outside of the faith to teach us something.
Look at how they love.
Although, they believe in some stuff that sounds a bit Sci-Fi, they are growing each year and more and more Mormons are prospering.
I think people are willing to believe the odd stuff in order to experience the love that they have for each other in their community.
Why can’t people say that about us?
Our faith is reasonable and historic.
Yes, there is mystery and miracles that can’t be explained simply, but that is what makes our faith, faith.
Jesus shows us that it is love that will set us apart.
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Love doesn’t mean acceptance of sin.
However, being kind to each other and loving strangers is so central to our faith.
It is literally what will draw people to Jesus.
Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?
It is God’s loving kindness that leads men to repentance.
Right living comes after a right heart.
If we are going to compete in anything with Mormons, let us out love them.
Let us love our families, our friends, and non-believers and go above and beyond to show Jesus’ love to everyone.
PRAY
That is Mormonism
Next week we are going to be studying Jehovah Witnesses and Natalie will be joining me for that one, as many of you know she was in that religion for several years— she will add a great deal of clarity to what they believe.
If you are interesting in Our Message Prep 101 class please stay afterwards, even if you have talked to me.
Have a great night and know that you are loved.