Thou Shalt Not Lie
| By Lucas O'Connor, Courage Campaign - Oct 23, 2008 3:34:46 PM PT |
| Also listed in: Courage Campaign Staff |
It's a pretty simple commandment. Having spent a few decades attending church, it's certainly not one of the foggy points of theology as I understand it. And as I learned it, unrepentant lying is even worse. But if recent developments are any indication, the top of the Mormon Church sees things a bit differently.
What I know is that combining lying with hatred and intolerance...it offends what I understand Christianity to be. That certainly doesn't mean that I expect everyone to conform to how I understand religion- quite the opposite. It just drives home that it isn't the place of religion to dictate our laws. And certainly not by violating the fundamental tenets of their given belief structure. It's a minefield that simply can't end well, regardless of initial intentions.
So when Rick Jacobs emailed Courage supporters earlier today explaining the distressing (to say the least) behavior by the Mormon Church on Prop 8 recently, I read with a little bit of ambivalence. But I realized it's not an attack on faith. It's an attack on a few people perverting faith with lies and intolerance. Which is why it's so important to sign the petition to the Mormon Prophet-President demanding that they stop paying for outright lies to be spread about Prop 8 in California.
But of course, Rick said it much better than I could:
They are lying to you. Lying so that they can impose their religious doctrine on Californians and eliminate our fundamental rights.
They are the leadership of the Mormon Church, based in Salt Lake City, Utah, and led by President-Prophet Thomas Monson. The Mormon Church has spent the last three months intimidating their members into giving money to "Yes on Prop 8" -- which would take marriage rights away from same-sex couples -- telling Mormon families that their "souls will be in jeopardy" if they do not contribute portions of their income.
According to the Sacramento Bee, members of the Mormon Church have contributed a whopping $8 million to the "Yes on 8" campaign -- about 40% of the total amount raised as of October 13 -- to pass a ballot measure that removes basic civil rights from our state constitution.
And what has this money bought? A pernicious pack of lies, broadcast dozens of times a day into California homes. A church whose ninth commandment reads "thou shalt not bear false witness" is helping fund false ads that claim California parents do not have the right to remove their children from sex education classes -- a right they have and that courts have repeatedly confirmed.
Today, California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell expressed his strong opposition to Prop 8 in a hard-hitting TV ad, emphatically reminding voters that "our schools aren't required to teach anything about marriage." In fact, every education authority in the state has rejected the lies and distortions of the Prop 8 campaign, including the California Teachers Association and the California School Boards Association.
It's time for Californians to fight back against these dishonest attacks by the religious right. On Tuesday, we will deliver a letter to President-Prophet Thomas Monson at the Los Angeles Mormon Temple, demanding that his church stop funding the blatant lies of the "Yes on 8" campaign. Please show your support by signing our letter right now:
http://www.couragecampaign.org/StopTheLies
The Mormon Church hopes these lies scare California's parents into voting against same-sex rights. That's why we're going to deliver this letter to President-Prophet Monson in Los Angeles on Tuesday:
We, the undersigned, call upon you to direct your church to cease funding the 'Yes on 8' campaign and to cease all forms of advocacy for Proposition 8. We ask you to stay out of our state's governance. We ask you to respect the religious freedoms of those churches that choose to conduct same-sex weddings, just as we respect your church's right to refuse to do so. We ask you to uphold both the spirit and the letter of the California and United States Constitutions and not attempt to eliminate the fundamental rights of Californians.
Simply put, the Mormon Church should not be imposing its religious doctrine on Californians by funding lies that eliminate civil rights or religious freedoms.
That's why I plan to personally deliver thousands of your signatures to President-Prophet Thomas Munson on Tuesday. Please sign our letter to him today so that we can gather as many signatures as possible before Tuesday's delivery to the Los Angeles Mormon Temple:
http://www.couragecampaign.org/StopTheLies
Morris Thurston, a Mormon scholar and adjunct law professor at Brigham Young University, has denounced Mormon leadership and called on them to "instruct its members that reliance on misleading and false 'consequences' is not worthy of our basic values of honesty and fair dealing."
If you agree, please forward this email message to your friends and family across California and the country. To shed light on these lies and defeat Prop 8, we need the support of as many people as possible, regardless of religious faith.
Thank you for doing everything in your power before election day to protect marriage equality in California.
Rick Jacobs
Chair
Comments are closed for this post.
If you choose to be willfully ignorant then please return to the dark closets that you came from and stop funding lies and hatred in the name of Mr. Snake-Oil-Salesman Smith.
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FALSE FOUNDATIONS OF THE MORMON CHURCH
(officially known as the Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints)
1. Joseph Smiths account of his heavenly vision in 1820 (published in Times and Seasons, 1842). In it God and Jesus told him that all churches were corrupt and that Gods restored church would be established through him. He was also told not to join any of those apostate churches. Truth: At least 5 earlier written drafts of the first vision exist and the knowledge of these highly conflicting versions have been repressed by Mormon leaders because they conflict with the currently accepted version. The Lewis brothers wrote that Joseph Smith originally told them that the heavenly visitation was in a dream, not a vision. (letter of Hill & Joseph Lewis, April 23 1894). The first account says that there was only one heavenly person, the second says there were many, the third says there were two. (The Changing World of Mormonism, Tanner and Tanner, pp 10, 149-155). Joseph Smith later wrote that the vision "was the cause of great persecution...and this was common to all the sects" even though a modern revue of all the local newspapers of that time turned up no hints at all of all the other churches persecuting him. (No Man Knows My History, Fawn Brodie p 23) Also, in spite of having allegedly being told not to join any church, he temporarily joined the Methodist church in 1828. (BYU Sudies, Spring 1969 p 384)
2. The gold plates which Joseph Smith allegedly received from an angel and translated with the use of a seer stone from "reformed Egyptian" to English which told of a group of Jews sailing to America in 600B.C. where they established a civilization and were known as "Nephites". The translation became entitled The Book Of Mormon. Truth: We have no testimony from anyone other than 11 mormons that the gold plates ever did exist, and they are nowhere to be seen now. He didn't translate to reformed Egyptian because no such language is known of by archaeologists. In direct contradiction to the bible, it states that Jesus was bom in Jerusalem (Alma 7:9-10) and not in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2, Matthew 2:1) and that the darkness after Jesus crucifixion lasted 3 days (Helaman 14:20) and not 3 hours (Matthew 27:45, Mark 15:33). Also there has not been found any archaeological evidence to validate the existence of the Nephite civilization that supposedly lasted 1000 years. Because of this obvious lack, some mormons grasp at straws and even claim that the ancient temples in the Yucatan peninsula were built by the Nephites even though archaeologists say that they were built around 1000 AD which is 600 years past the date of the end of the supposed Nephite civilization. John C. Sorenson, Chairman of Brigham Young University Anthropology Department describes some of the most popular books among Mormons on the subject of archaeology and geography as "naive", "harmful", and as "cut-and-paste.. efforts". He also said "There is plenty of evidence that the Latter Day Saints are gullible on many subjects, not just this one." ("Instant Expertise on Book of Mormon Archaeology" in BYU Studies Spring 1976 pp 429-432) Mormon archaeologist professor Dee F. Green said "The first myth we need to eliminate is that Book of Mormon archaeology exists" (Dialogue op. cit., Summer 1969 pp 77-78). Dr Richard Phales, author, lecturer, and archaeologist, said "We have never excavated one single artifact that even remotely relates to this alleged civilization that the Mormons claim existed in the U.S., Central America, and S. America" (video, The God Makers, 1982 Jerimiah Films). Allegedly two groups (numbering 3 and 8) of Mormons saw the gold plates. The first group of 3 were also the ones who ordained all of the first 12 apostles to the Mormon church. All 3 eventually renounced Mormonism and were called by Joseph Smith "too mean to mention; and we had liked to have forgotten them'' (Joseph Smith: History of the Church Vol 3 pg 232) and "liars, cheats, and blacklegs". Only 3 of the 11 stayed in Mormonism, all 3 being Smiths. Most of the 11 were known to be very unstable and unreliable, always having fantastic visions and jumping from one religion to another (The God Makers, Decker & Hunt p102). Also, the Book of Mormon suspiciously contains hundreds of quotations from the King James version of The Bible (and even whole chapters; compare Isaiah chapters 2-14 to 2 Nephi chapters12-24, Isa 48-49 to 1 Nephi 20-21, Isa 50-51 to 2 Nephi 7-8). The alleged prophet Nephi allegedly made the gold plates in 600-500 B.C. but the King James version wasn't published until 1611 AD. Either Nephi lacked enough to write about and so magically transported to the future to copy out of the bible, or Joseph Smith copied out of the King James Bible (which was available to him) in order to enhance his fictitious story with the words of true prophets in order to fool those who weren't familiar enough with their bible to know that it had been copied. J S made it very obvious that he did copy from the bible by keeping the same bible chapter divisions and verse numbers and also kept the same words italicized! J S was also found out to be a fraudulent "translator" of ancient manuscripts by 3 men in 1843 who brought to him six thin brass plates which they had made to look like ancient plates with phony hieroglyphics on them. J S began to "translate" them using his seer stone and said they "contain the history of the person with whom they were found. He was a descendant of Ham, through the loins of Pharaoh.'' After the death of J S the 3 men made public the hoax which was then confirmed by experts. University of Chicago professor James Breasted wrote: "The Kinderhook plates are, of course, childish forgeries, as the scientific world has known for years. ... Where we can check up on Smith as a translator of plates, he is found guilty of deception. How can we trust him with reference to his claims about the Book Of Mormon?" (The Book Of Mormon? James Bales 1958 pp 95, 97-99) Martin Harris, the financier of J S when he was ''translating" the gold plates, asked J S for a list of the egyptian characters found in them (because J S would let no one look at the plates) so that he could have them checked out by a professor and hopefully have his doubts alleviated. Charles Anthon, professor of Greek and Latin at Columbia College, studied them and later wrote that the paper "consisted of all kinds of crooked characters disposed in columns, and had evidently been prepared by some person who had before him at the time a book containing various alphabets. Greek and Hebrew letters, crosses and flourishes, Roman letters inverted or placed sideways, were arranged in perpindicular columns, and the whole ended in a rude delineation of a circle divided into various compartments, decked with various strange marks, and evidently copied after the Mexican calendar by Humbolt, but copied in such a way as not to betray the source whence it was derived" (No Man Knows My History, Fawn Brodie p 51). Joseph Smith said "Take away the Book of Mormon and the revelations, and where is our religion? We have none." (Teachings of the Prophet, Joseph Smith p 71)
3. The Pearl Of Great Price, another "translation" of Joseph Smith from Egyptian papyrus which he said was the Book of Abraham. This papyrus he purchased from a touring exhibitor of Egyptian artifacts. Truth: Dr Charles Crane, author, college professor, and expert on Mormon archaeology, said "Joseph Smith did not get right even one word in this whole translation. In fact he took one little letter that looks like a backwards "e" and translated it into 76 words." (The God Makers video). Dr Richard Phales said "...the Book of Abraham. That manuscript disappeared until 1967. It has now resurfaced. Several famous egyptologists have now looked at it, translated it, and found that it doesn't have anything to do with the time of Abraham at all. " (The God Makers video)
4. The Doctrines and Covenants, another of Joseph Smiths main texts. Truth: This book had to be revised to keep from showing 3 prediction/prophecies of Joseph Smith that did not come true as he predicted. This coverup is only one of many by the "Church" to hide the truth from its members. Two years after its first printing as The Book of Commandments in 1833, it underwent 65,000 changes although the first edition was supposedly direct word-for-word revelations from God. (see the notarized photostat copies in Joseph Smith Begins His Work Vol 1 & 2). Section 132 contains the doctrine of polygamy (marrying many women). Interestingly enough, this doctrine wasn't taught until after it was becoming fairly well known that Joseph Smith was having sexual relations with other church members wives. (The God Makers, Decker & Hunt pp 152-153). He eventually had at least 27 wives, many of which were already married. (Historical Record Vol 6 May 1887).
The Word of the Lord vs Mormon Theology
God says "I am the Lord and there is no other; besides me there is no God" Isahiah 45:5 "Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me." Isahiah 43:10 (see also Isa 44:6 and 45:21)
Joseph Smith said "where I have preached on the subject of diety, it has [been on] the Duality of Gods." (Teachings of the Prophet, Joseph Smith p 370)
M. Conkie said "there is an infinite number of holy personages, drawn from worlds without number, who have passed on to exaltation and are thus Gods." (Mormon Doctrine, McConkie pp 576-577)
Mormons teach in direct contradiction to the word of the Lord that God, the father of Jesus, is only one of many men that have attained Godhood by being perfect, and that Mormons can do the same.
God says "I am God and not man, the Holy One in your midst" Hosea 11 :9
Jesus said "God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship him in spirit and truth". John 4:24 "handle me and see; for a spirit has not flesh and bones as you see that I have" Luke 24:39
Joseph Smith said "God himself, the Father of us all was once a man like us." (History of the Church, Vol 6, Joseph Smith p 305). "God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man and sits enthroned in yonder heavens!" ( Teachings of the Prophet, J. F. Smith p 345). "The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as mans" (Doctrines and Covenants 130:22).
Mormons wrongly teach that God is not spirit but rather a flesh and bones man that is sexual, had sex with Mary to have Jesus (Doctrines of Salvation, J. F. Smith Vol 1 p 18), and has all along been creating spirits for this world by having sexual intercourse with his celestial female companion (Life Everlasting, Crowther p 340)!
False Prophecies and Declarations of the False Prophet JOSEPH SMITH
1. He declared that the Garden of Eden was located in Jackson County Missouri although the bible says that out of Eden flows four rivers, one being the Euphrates, one flows into Ethiopia, and another flows into East Assyria. (Genesis 2:1014)
2. He prophecied in 1835 that Jesus Christ would return within 56 years. (History of the Church Vol 2 p 182).
3. He prophecied that at his second coming, Jesus Christ would return to Independence Missouri in spite of the bible stating "Then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations as when he fights on a day of battle. On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives which lies before Jerusalem on the east" (Zechariah 14:34).
4. He declared that the moon was inhabited by people about 6 feet tall who dressed like Quakers and lived to be 1000 years old. (The Young Womans Journal, Oliver B. Huntington 1892 Vol 3 p 263).
5. He prophecied that both a city and a temple were to be built in western Missouri before his death. (Doctrines and Covenants 84:15, 31). Neither were built before his death and even now have still yet to be built.
6. He prophecied "In a few years the government will be overthrown and wasted" (History of the Church Vol 15 p 394).
7. He prophecied "not many years shall pass away before the U.S. shall present such a scene of bloodshed as has not a parallel in the history of our nation; pestilence, hail, famine, and earthquake will sweep the wicked of this generation from off the face of the land" (History of the Church Vol 1 pp 315-316).
The Mormon War of 1838
Joseph Smith taught, organized, and encouraged his followers to rob, murder, and plunder those who opposed them. He said "Know ye not, brethren, that it will soon be your privilege to take your respective companies and go out on a scout on the borders of the settlements, and take to yourselves spoils of the goods of the ungodly Gentiles? For it is written, the riches of the Gentiles shall be consecrated to my people, the house of Israel; and thus you will waste away the Gentiles by robbing and plundering them of their property . . . I would swear a lie to clear any of you; and if this would not do, I would put them or him under the sand as Moses did the Egyptian". (History of the Church, Vol 3, pp 180-181). Sampson Avard, leader of the mormon troops, testified in the trial that "I consider Joseph Smith Jr, as the prime mover and organizer of this Danite band." (Senate Document 189, 26th Congress, 2nd Session pp 21-25). He also said the Danites had looted the towns Gallatin and Millport. At the end of October 1838 the mormon troops surrendered to the Missouri State militia. Imprisoned, Joseph Smith and his men were charged with "treason, murder, arson, burglary, robbery, larceny, and perjury" (The History of the Church Vol 1 pp 498-499). Hyram and Joseph Smith escaped by bribing the sheriff. (No Man Knows My History p 255).
Mormonism: Hooked On A Feeling
What is even more incredible than all that you've just read is that when a mormon is confronted with all this evidence that exposes the Mormon church as a man made religion, the mormon says "l don't care. I prayed to know whether Joseph Smith was a true prophet of God and then I felt that he was. I have a burning in the bosom that tells me the Mormon Church is true." Incredible! Even though there is no true reason to accept any of their religion if you really look into what they believe, they think a feeling is proof enough. That is in spite of the fact that God is a God of reason. (God said "Come, let us reason together. Though your sins be as scarlet I will make them white as snow.") Jesus also told his disciples to "Be gentle as doves, but wise as serpents". John the apostle also told the church "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are of God; for many false prophets have gone out into the world." (1 John 4:1 ). Jesus also said, "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheeps clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves." (Matthew 7:15). There is no evidence at all that anything Joseph Smith taught was true! Yet God always gives evidence. "Gods eternal power and divinity have become visible, recognized through the things he has made" (Romans 1:20). Examples of God's evidence; *God parted the Red Sea and guided his people by a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. *God gave to Moses for his people the Ten Commandments etched in stone. *God caused the walls of Jericho to fall down after the Israelites circled them for 7 days. *God sent his son Jesus in the flesh as evidence of his enduring love. *Jesus multiplied the loaves and fishes for a crowd of listeners that were hungry. *We have all kinds of physical evidence for the truth of God and Jesus but none for Joseph Smith, and yet the Mormons want others to leave behind all common sense and believe their stories based on a feeling! The humble truth is that we humans have such a large capacity for self deception. We tend to believe in that which we think will fulfill us despite all reasonable evidence. For example How many of us have gotten an "In Love" feeling with someone who we just knew was "the one" for us. And then we invested ourselves totally in that person in order to fulfill our love fantasy. All the while we ignored our own common sense and refused to consider the obvious evidence of why that person wouldn't be such a great mate. And then, of course, things gradually went downhill and we eventually got our hearts broke. Moral of the Story: listen to your common sense!
Mormon converts have obviously wanted so badly to of finally found the "true Church" that they subconsciously created their own gut feeling that felt good and right. This feeling, they were told, was the proof that the Mormon Church is the one true church and that they now have the opportunity to "make the grade" in Gods sight. They then go for it, without knowing all the deception that created the Mormon Church. Once in and fully committed few people make it out because they are continually brainwashed and are told that to question any of it is to sin. My hope and prayer is that this information will save you the time and trouble that others have had to endure.
Link
I belonged to the church for ten years, I went on a mission, have been to the temple, and graduated from BYU.
One of the facts that you conveniently leave out is that the Mormon clergy is a lay clergy. Most of the active male members of the church are priesthood holders at one level or another, from the age of 12 (women are exluded). The members who are donating money to prop 8 are officials of the church. They are ordained ministers of the church. They are officers and representatives of the church. They also happen to look like everyone else, and have jobs and businesses like everyone else. It is so deceptive to imply that just because Salt Lake doesn't write the check that the church isn't politically involved. In my world, if officials of an organization donate money, that organization supports the cause where the funds are going.
With a priesthood organized like the Mormon church, what ever the chief ministers say(the "prophet" and "apostles" in Salt Lake) must be followed without question. In my experience no one EVER questioned Salt Lake. To do so was next apostacy (the Mormon version of heresy), which was grounds for denying temple privileges, disfellowship, or excommunication. With these things hanging over their heads, no one ever questioned what the leaders said. One Mormon "prophet" even said in the last century, "When the prohpet speaks, all the thinking has been done". So when the church leaders say do this or that, Mormons will follow. To not do so is heresy.
Furthermore, the Mormons have a nice little thing called the law of consecration, which basically means the faithful members are willing to give EVERYTHING they own to the church, and to give any of their time and talents to the church when asked. Under this law, the church could ask a member to donate money to the president of Iran, and he or she would do it (it's why I would NEVER vote for a Mormon to be president). It is plausible the church could ask certain members to donate money to one thing or another, and the rest of the world would never know because it would appear they were doing it as ordinary citizens. I wouldn't be surprised if some of the members who have given their life savings to fight for prop 8 were living under this law.
You also talk about respect. Your leaders have said in the past, all homosexuals should commit suicide, rather than bring shame to their families. You teach that ALL other religions are inpired by Satan. Your members believe that black people are born in Africa because they deserve that life for bad things they did before they were born into this world (and conversely, people are born in Utah because they were so great before they were born). Your members teach that Democrats are inspired by Satan. Of course everyone has the right to believe what they want, but I'm sorry, people as disdainful of everyone different from yourself have no right to dictate to society how they should live.
Delivering it to the temple anywhere, will get you a lot of elderly senior citizens who spend their retirement days serving the Lord. The Prophet of our church, President Monson, can be found in Salt Lake City, if he is there, but usually, he can be found travelling the world, seeing the poor, the needy, setting up facilities and supplies to help with world crisis.
To think that Prop 8 is the biggest thing on the plate of the LDS Church...silly! We definitely have spiritual and eternal reasons not to want 'gay marriages'but our spiritual work far exceeds this issue. Soon we will be on higher ground. This issue is one for people who have the integrity to discuss ugly things. I can't do it, but I support those who can debate the topic and not get ugliness all around them!
Thanks to all you workers who devote the time and effort to a YES vote on Prop 8, and that includes great people of many, many churches.
K
Hah! The president of the church visiting the poor and travelling to help with world crisis? Give us a break. The only things I ever saw the church leadership care about was membership and money. The only poor people who were helped were faithful members of the church. And I bet his ear is sore from all the phone calling to lobby to get the economic bail out passed. The church has billions in real estate and stock holdings and is probably loosing a ton of money as we speak.
I respect your rights, but the truth is you belong to a minority. You belong to a group who believes among other things that the earth was created 6000 years ago, that Adam and Eve lived in Missouri, that Native Americans and Polynesians were once white people and will some day turn white again, that ALL other religions are inspired by Satan, that you will be god in the after life, and that you are better spiritually than other races. Sorry, groups like yours have no right to pass yourselves off as some kind of sheep, while telling the rest of society how to live.
I am working to organize a protest across the state against Prop 8 targeted at Mormon Churches (If you are LDS that is even better). If you are interested, please email me at noon8@sbcglobal.net
Please only respond if you are willing to be extremely respectful and non-confrontational while distributing leaflets to members.
In the ad, the superintendent is not completely candid. There may be no “requirement” generally for California schools to talk about marriage, but there is no prohibition against it either and the Cal. Supreme Court decision will undoubtedly compel some teachers to speak of gay marriage to students whose parents have differing beliefs based upon religion. The Mass. case is relevant and I believe Cal. will follow. The 1st Circuit Court of Appeals said parents do NOT have a right to remove their children from such presentations in school. See 514 F.3d 87. Also, 96 percent of Cal. schools provide sex education and those schools are “required” to talk about marriage.
You may not agree with the position taken, but the threat to religious liberty is real -- which is also a civil right. What cause is more appropriate for a church and its members to be involved with?
by Loren Franck
The Bible predicts a dreadful fate for liars. For instance, while banished on the island of Patmos, the Apostle John saw that "all liars shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death" (Revelation 21:8). Similarly, the beloved disciple writes, liars are doomed to an eternity outside of God's presence (Revelation 22:15). Because Satan is the father of lies (John 8:44), lying is extremely serious sin.
As a full-time Mormon missionary from 1975 to 1977, I lied for the church countless times. Like my colleagues in the South Dakota-Rapid City Mission, which served the Dakotas and adjacent areas, I spoke truthfully about my background, but touted many Mormon teachings that contradict the Bible. After my mission ended, however, I examined these doctrines more closely. The harder I tried to reconcile the contradictions, the more evident they became. So, after extensive prayer and study, I resigned my church membership in 1984. Cheated and betrayed, I lacked spiritual life for the next 17 years. But God, knowing those who are His (John 10:14; 2 Timothy 2:19), drew me to Christ (John 6:44) and saved me in 2001. My spiritual emptiness was replaced by the abundant life only the Savior can give (John 10:10). And now, like millions of Christians worldwide, I have everlasting life through my faith in Him (John 3:36; 6:47).
I can't remember all of my missionary lies. Some were small, others grandiose, but all were false and misleading. Here are ten I'll never forget.
1. We're Not Trying to Convert You
Of all my lies, this was the most frequent. I learned it well while in Winnipeg, Manitoba, which was my first assignment. A standard door-to-door proselyting pitch began with, "We represent The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints." Interrupting, many people said they had their own religion. "Oh, we're not trying to convert you," I responded. "We're sharing a message for all faiths."
But Mormon missionaries have one overriding goal, and that's to bring converts into the church. Clearly, this was the purpose of my mission. I didn't trade the Southern California sunshine for the Dakota snow merely to build interfaith relations. My calling was to teach the church-approved missionary lessons and then baptize the people I taught.
2. The Bible is Insufficient
According to their eighth Article of Faith, Mormons accept the Bible as the word of God only when it's translated correctly. How convenient for a missionary. When a non-Mormon's interpretation of scripture differed from mine, I frequently blamed faulty Bible translation. And since I believed the Bible was missing "many plain and precious things," as the Book of Mormon claims in 1 Nephi 13:28-29, I urged prospective converts not to trust it completely.
And yet, Mormon proof texts had few translation problems. Throughout my mission, I used only those Bible verses that steered prospects away from their church and toward Mormonism. But what kind of Christian believes that an all-knowing, all-powerful and all-loving God gave mankind an inadequate version of His word. Actually, the Bible is more than sufficient. With its 66 books, 1,189 chapters and nearly 740,000 words, it's the divine road map to eternal life through Jesus Christ.
3. We're the Only True Christians
For decades, the Mormon Church has tried to blend with mainstream Christianity. Accordingly, during my mission a quarter-century ago, I worked hard to convince prospects that Mormons believe in the biblical Jesus. But Paul warned of deceivers who would lure Christians away from "the simplicity that is in Christ." These false teachers preached "another Jesus" and "another gospel" (2 Corinthians 11: 3-4) and were accursed (see Galatians 1:8-9). How interesting that Paul also cautions against false apostles, such as those in the Mormon Church (2 Corinthians 11:13-14).
So which Jesus and gospel do Mormons preach? While a missionary, I taught that Christ was the firstborn spirit child of the Father in a premortal life. (The remainder of humanity was born as spirits later in this "pre-existence.") But I didn't tell prospects this was a literal birth, the result of literal fathering, as Mormon prophets and apostles have claimed. If asked, I taught that the devil was born as one of God's noble spirit sons during the pre-existence, but had rebelled and started a war in heaven.
Consistent with Mormon doctrine, then, Christ and Satan are spirit brothers. But the Bible teaches that Christ is God (Isaiah 7:14; 9:6; John 1:1), that He has always been God (Psalm 90:2), and that He always will be God (Hebrews 13:8). Born into mortality some 2,000 years ago, Jesus is "God... manifest in the flesh" (1 Timothy 3:16). He is far grander and holier than "our Elder Brother," as Mormons dub Him. Jesus and Satan aren't spirit brothers, and true Christians don't believe such blasphemy.
4. We're the Only True Church
I usually told this lie during the first of seven 30-minute missionary lessons, which presented the Joseph Smith story. According to our script, Smith prayed in 1820 about which church to join. He claimed the Father and Son appeared and told him that all Christian churches of the day were wrong. Smith said he was forbidden to join any of them, that their creeds were abominable and their professors all corrupt. "They draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me," the Lord allegedly added. "They teach for doctrines the commandments of men" (Joseph Smith — History, verse 19). In subsequent lessons, I told prospects that Mormonism is the true church God restored through Smith.
But the Bible says such a restoration was unnecessary. Admittedly, there was partial apostasy after Christ's resurrection, but never a complete falling away. In fact, shortly before His crucifixion, Jesus promised that the gates of hell would not prevail against His church (Matthew 16:18). During my mission, however, I argued that the gates of hell did prevail against Christ's church.
Shortly after renouncing Mormonism, I learned a scriptural death blow to notions of universal apostasy. Addressing Ephesian believers 30 years after the Ascension, the Apostle Paul writes, "Unto [God] be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen" (Ephesians 3:21). God received glory in the Christian church from the time of Paul's writing to the present day, and He will receive such glory throughout all succeeding generations. Therefore, the church must exist from Paul's day throughout eternity. This annihilates Mormon claims of complete apostasy and makes restoration of Christ's church impossible.
5. We Have a Living Prophet
Whether in wintry Winnipeg or the balmy Black Hills of Rapid City, I criticized Christians because their church lacked a living prophet. Mormons claim the true church must have one. My favorite Bible proof text to back this claim was Amos 3:7, which reads, "Surely, the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets."
When prospective converts remained skeptical of living prophets, I quoted Ephesians 4:11-14, which apparently requires living apostles and prophets until believers unify in the faith and understand Christ completely. However, writing in the past tense, Paul is actually referring to apostles and prophets of Jesus' day. Otherwise, verse 11 would read that the Lord "is giving" or "will give" apostles and prophets. Of course, God did reveal His will through Old Testament prophets, as Amos 3:7 affirms. But for the last 2,000 years, He has spoken to believers through Christ (Hebrews 1:1-2).
The truth about Mormonism's living prophets is further illuminated in Deuteronomy 18:22. "When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord," the scripture reads, "if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him." Isaiah 8:20 contains a similar warning: "To the law and the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them."
False prophets who led ancient Israel astray received the death penalty (Deuteronomy 13:1-5; 18:20), and all who profess to be living prophets should consider the consequences. Mormon prophets might appear grandfatherly and sincere, but they're not God's living oracles. Since the Mormon Church was founded in 1830, its prophets have uttered a striking number of false prophecies. (See chapter 14 of Jerald and Sandra Tanner's "The Changing World of Mormonism.")
6. The Book of Mormon is Scripture
Joseph Smith claimed that the Book of Mormon is the most correct book on earth, adding that man would become closer to God by following its precepts than by obeying any other book ("History of the Church," Vol. 4, p. 461). Replace "Book of Mormon" with "the Bible" and Smith would have told the truth.
When teaching missionary lessons, I boldly maintained that the Book of Mormon is scripture. I spent myriad hours convincing prospects that it's a sacred record of Christ's activities in the western hemisphere. Yet many Christians I contacted realized the book "borrows" heavily from the Bible and other sources. And in stark contrast to the Old and New Testaments, virtually no archaeological and anthropological evidence supports the Book of Mormon. Why not? Because it's fiction. When Christians want to read scripture, they turn to the Bible.
7. You're Saved By Works
More than any other Mormon lie, this undermines Christ's atonement, which is the most sacred doctrine of the Bible. Mormons usually equate salvation with resurrection. Likewise, they refer to eternal life as "exaltation." I did both while teaching prospective converts. I relished the church's third Article of Faith, which claims, "through the atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel."
Trying to bridge the doctrinal divide between Mormons and Christians, I emphasized that salvation is by grace "after all we can do" (2 Nephi 25:23). What classic Mormon double-talk. Unmistakably, the Bible says eternal life is a gift from God (Romans 5:15; 6:23) to those who believe in Christ (John 6:47), call upon Him (Romans 10:13) and receive Him as Lord and Savior (John 1:12). Contrary to Mormon dogma, this gift cannot be awarded meritoriously.
Equally clear is that salvation results from God's grace through each believer's faith, not from obeying a checklist of laws and ordinances (Ephesians 2:8-9; 2 Timothy 1:9; Titus 3:5). All who confess Christ and believe in Him from the heart shall be saved (Romans 10:8-13).
Most Mormons know little about imputed righteousness — and neither did I during my mission. Essentially, as Christians know, the Lord credits believers with His perfect righteousness and charges their transgressions to His sinless spiritual "account." Paul explains this doctrine masterfully in Romans 4 and 2 Corinthians 5:18-21.
When teaching the Mormon gospel, though, I emphatically denied imputed righteousness, which is the essence of the atonement. I stressed that eternal life is earned by perfect obedience to all gospel laws and ordinances. Yet the Bible says that "there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not" (Ecclesiastes 7:20). As the Psalmist writes: "They are all gone aside. They are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one" (Psalm 14:3; compare Romans 3:10-18).
How many Mormons perfectly obey all gospel laws? None. As the Bible asserts, even the church's current prophet can't keep God's laws thoroughly enough to merit heaven (1 John 1:8). And if he can't, how can anyone else?
8. People Can Become Gods
Given its explosive nature, this tenet was rarely shared with prospective converts. Missionaries try to entice people into Mormonism gradually, and presenting the doctrine of plural gods is seldom the best way. Several contacts learned the concept from their pastors or read about it on their own, but it was new to most prospects.
"Our Father in heaven loves us so much," I often said, parroting our lesson script, "that He provided a plan [Mormonism] for us to become like him." I didn't mention that Mormon godhood includes spirit procreation throughout eternity. Neither did I hint that the Mormon God was formerly a mortal man, had lived on an earth like ours, and had earned salvation through good works. However, such polytheism strips God of glory and sovereignty. No wonder the Bible condemns it so strongly. When discussing plural gods on my mission, I sidestepped Isaiah 44:8 whenever possible. "Is there a God beside me?" the passage reads. "Yea, there is no God; I know not any." Other verses amply testify that only one God exists in the universe (Deuteronomy 4:35, 39; 6:4; Isaiah 43:10-11; 45:21-23).
When confronted with these scriptures as a missionary, I usually countered with, "Those verses mean we worship only one God, that there's only one God to us." And if that failed, I lied further: "The Bible isn't clear on this subject. Fortunately, the Lord told Joseph Smith that mortals can become gods." Smith might have had a revelation, but not from God.
9. You're Born Again By Becoming a Mormon
One of my favorite missionary scriptures was John 3:5. "Verily, verily I say unto you," the Savior explains, "Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." To Mormon missionaries everywhere, being born of water means baptism into the Mormon Church. Birth of the Spirit refers to the gift of the Holy Ghost, allegedly bestowed after baptism.
Unfortunately, during my mission, I didn't know what it means to be born again. I completely misinterpreted Paul's declaration that "if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new" (2 Corinthians 5:17; compare Galatians 6:15). According to the Bible, believers in Christ are reborn spiritually as sons and daughters of God (John 1:12; 1 John 3:1-2). They experience a complete Christian conversion of mind and heart. Membership in a church organization might foster social activity and fellowship, but it's not spiritual rebirth.
10. Temple Marriage is Required for Eternal Life
I participated in well over 100 Mormon temple ceremonies from 1975 to 1982, including my own marriage in 1977. Based heavily on freemasonry, temple rites are the church's most carefully guarded secrets. And "celestial marriage," which supposedly weds men and women eternally, is probably the most important temple ordinance. While a missionary, I frequently told prospects they needed temple marriage to gain eternal life.
Yet the Lord says marriage between men and women is irrelevant to the hereafter. "The children of this age marry, and are given in marriage," He declares. "But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage… for they are equal unto the angels...." (Luke 20:34-36.)
The Bible does teach eternal marriage, but not the Mormon version. The union is between Christ, the Bridegroom, and His collective body of believers, who are the bride (Matthew 25:1-13; John 3:29; Romans 7:4; 2 Corinthians 11:2).
False Testimony
I close with a few words about "testimony," which is a missionary's emergency cord. When I couldn't rebut an antagonistic statement scripturally, I fell back on my testimony. For instance, while proselyting in Grand Forks, North Dakota, I was once asked where the Bible mentions the secret undergarments Mormons wear. Caught off guard, I admitted that the Bible says nothing about them. I could merely testify that God revealed the need for these garments through living prophets. But my testimony wasn't based on scripture or other hard evidence. Rather, it was founded on personal revelation, which is extremely subjective. Essentially, my testimony was nothing more than a good feeling about the church and its teachings. In Mormon parlance, it was a "burning in the bosom." But burning or not, it wasn't from God.
If you're a Christian, I urge you to "earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints" (Jude 3). That faith, the pathway to heaven, is found only in the biblical Jesus (John 14:6). But if you're a Mormon, it's time to prayerfully re-examine your beliefs. Do you know you have everlasting life? No. Can you obey all the commandments perfectly and earn a place in heaven? You can't.
I regret the many lies I told during my Mormon mission. When I received Christ, though, I confessed them (and my other sins) and received His forgiveness (1 John 1:9; Colossians 1:13-14). "He that heareth my word," Christ assures us, "and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life" (John 5:24).
Loren Franck lives in Los Angeles, California, with his wife, Verlette, and their young son.
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