10 Amazing Facts of Mormonism
by Jill Martin Rische
The old saying "A little learning is a dangerous
thing" certainly applies to Mormonism and its long history of mysterious teachings. The Mormon Church
does not always discuss many of its core beliefs, so even Mormons do not know what their Church accepts as truth.
This lack of knowledge is fatal, for choosing the wrong Jesus means an eternity without Him.
The purpose of these facts of Mormonism is not to attack people but to examine
Mormon doctrine, and defend Christianity from the original attack of Joseph Smith.*
Christians must know the basic teachings of Mormonism in order to answer them, and Mormons are certainly entitled to the
truth.
10
Amazing Facts of Mormonism
- Jesus is a polygamist and the father of many children.
- The
God of the Protestants and Catholics is "a monster."
- Joseph Smith
did a greater work than Jesus Christ.
- All beliefs that deny Joseph Smith as a prophet
of God are "of Antichrist."
- Jesus was not conceived by the Holy Spirit.
- The
blood of Jesus cannot save-there is no salvation without Joseph Smith.
7. Joseph Smith holds "the keys of the
kingdom of God."
8.
Christianity is inspired by the devil.
9. Dead people-including Protestants, Catholics, Jews or
Muslims-can still become Mormons.
10.
Satan planned to be the Savior of the world.
Endnotes:
[1] Journal
of Discourses 11:328, Brigham Young – "Here is one of the 'relics of barbarism!' [polygamy]
Yes, one of the relics of Adam, of Enoch, of Noah, of Abraham, of Isaac, of Jacob, of Moses, David, Solomon, the Prophets,
of Jesus, and his Apostles."; Journal of Discourses 2:82, Orson Hyde
-"Jesus was the bridegroom at the marriage of Cana of Galilee, and he told them what to do. Now
there was actually a marriage; and if Jesus was not the bridegroom on that occasion, please tell who was. If any man can
show this, and prove that it was not the Savior of the world, then I will acknowledge I am in error. We say it was Jesus
Christ who was married, to be brought into the relation whereby he could see his seed, before he was crucified."; Journal
of Discourses 4:259, Orson Hyde; Journal of Discourses 1:346, Jedediah M. Grant
- "The grand reason of the burst of public sentiment in anathemas upon Christ and his disciples, causing his crucifixion,
was evidently based upon polygamy, according to the testimony of the philosophers who rose in that age. A belief in the
doctrine of a plurality of wives caused the persecution of Jesus and his followers. We might almost think they were "Mormons."
The Jesus of the Mormons participated (and still does) in "authorized" polygamy.
[2]
History of the Church, Vol. 6, p. 473-479, Joseph
Smith's Sermon on the Plurality of Gods – "Many men say there is one God; the Father,
the Son and the Holy Ghost are only one God! I say that is a strange God anyhow-three in one, and one in three! It is a
curious organization . . . . All are to be crammed into one God, according to sectarianism. It would make the biggest God
in all the world. He would be a wonderfully big God-he would be a giant or a monster."
Jesus contradicts
Joseph Smith in John 10:30 when He says, "I and My Father are one."
[3]
History of the Church, Vol. 6, p. 408, 409 - Prophet Joseph Smith's
Sermon, Sunday, May 26, 1844 - "Come on! ye prosecutors! ye false swearers! All hell, boil over! Ye burning mountains,
roll down your lava! for I will come out on the top at last. I have more to boast of than ever any man had. I am the only
man that has ever been able to keep a whole church together since the days of Adam. A large majority of the whole have stood
by me. Neither Paul, John, Peter, nor Jesus ever did it. I boast that no man ever did such a work as I. The followers of
Jesus ran away from Him; but the Latter-day Saints never ran away from me yet." See document at Christian
site http://www.irr.org/MIT/WDIST/wdist-st-hcv6p408.html (accessed March 8, 2007).
[4] Journal of Discourses 8:176, Brigham
Young; Journal of Discourses 9:312, Brigham Young.
[5]
Journal of Discourses 1:50,51, Brigham Young – "The
question has been, and is often, asked, who it was that begat the Son of the Virgin Mary . . . .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 . . . .
Now, remember from this time forth, and forever, that Jesus Christ was not begotten by the Holy Ghost."
[6]
Journal of Discourses 4:54, Brigham Young - "It is true that the blood of the Son of God was
shed for sins through the fall and those committed by men, yet men can commit sins which it can never remit." There
is no salvation without belief in Joseph Smith as a prophet of God. Journal of Discourses 7:289-91,
Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses 5:88, Heber C. Kimball.
[7] Journal of Discourses 7:289-91, Brigham
Young; Journal of Discourses 6:154-155, Orson Hyde.
[8] Book
of Mormon, 1 Nephi 14:10-11 - "And he [the angel of God] said unto me: Behold there are save
two churches only; the one is the church of the Lamb of God, and the other is the church of the devil; wherefore, whoso
belongeth not to the church of the Lamb of God belongeth to that great church, which is the mother of abominations; and
she is the whore of all the earth. And it came to pass that I looked and beheld the whore of all the earth, and she sat upon
many waters; and she had dominion over all the earth, among all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people."; Journal
of Discourses 6:176, Brigham Young - "Brother Taylor has just said that the religions
of the day were hatched in hell. The eggs were laid in hell, hatched on its borders, and then kicked
on to the earth."
[9] Doctrine and Covenants 127, Joseph
Smith; Journal of Discourses, 18:241, Brigham Young. Mormons research their
genealogy in order to baptize dead relatives into the Mormon Church by proxy (meaning they stand in for them in the baptismal tank). The
dead can choose to accept or reject the baptism. Mormons can also do this for celebrities, friends and
enemies, which is why some Jewish leaders are angry with the Mormon Church for baptizing victims of the Holocaust. See Mormons meet with Jews over baptizing Holocaust victims, CNN, http://archives.cnn.com/2002/US/West/12/10/baptizing.the.dead.ap/ (accessed March 8, 2007). "Baptism for the dead in Mormon temples gives those who would have embraced
Christ and His Church the opportunity to do so after death. It is a wonderful gift granted by a merciful God." See pro-Mormon
site http://www.ldschurchtemples.com/mormon/baptism/ (accessed March 7, 2007).
[10] Pearl of Great Price, Moses 4:1 - And I, the Lord God, spake unto Moses, saying: That Satan, whom thou hast commanded in the name of mine Only Begotten, is the same which was from the
beginning, and he came before me, saying-Behold, here am I, send me, I will be thy son, and I will redeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost, and surely I will do it; wherefore give me thine honor." http://www.lds.org/library/display/0,4945,11-1-13-6,00.html
Jesus and Satan brought their plans for
the salvation of the world before the council of the Gods, and they rejected Satan's plan. Journal of Discourses, 6:5,
8, Joseph Smith - "In the beginning, the head of the Gods called a council of
the Gods; and they came together and concocted a plan to create the world and people it . . . . The
contention in heaven was Jesus said there would be certain souls that would not be saved; and the Devil said he could save
them all, and laid his plans before the grand council, who gave their vote in favour of Jesus Christ. So the Devil rose
up in rebellion against God, and was cast down, with all who put up their heads for him."
Additional Notes:
Some Mormons argue
that the Journal of Discourses is not Mormon Scripture, but early Mormon leaders refute modern Mormons:
Journal of Discourses
13:264, Brigham Young; Journal of Discourses 13:95, George Q. Cannon;
Journal of Discourses 1:V.
A
little learning is a dangerous thing; drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring: there shallow draughts intoxicate the
brain, and drinking largely sobers us again."-- Alexander Pope, An Essay on Criticism, 1709
The mormon church is now in process of a large evangelistic campaign.
As a part of this campaign they are strongly referring to themselves as "Christian". While there are
bad apples in every crowd, Rayphe says "There is no question that some of the nicer people I have known are mormons.
Often they are good community citizens, with good family values, and their dedication to preparedness is nearly renown".
