Mormonism
Galatians 1:6-8
I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him
who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different
gospel; which is really not another; only there are
some who are disturbing 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
what we have preached to you, he is to be
accursed!
Mormonism
Initial sample counter-example
Book of Mormon: completed in 420
KJV: Translated in 1611
So, why the verbatim copying from KJV?
2 Nephi chapters 7, 8, and 12-24, matches nearly
word-for-word the chapters 50, 51-52:1-2, and 214 (respectively) of the King James Translation
(1611) of the Book of Isaiah.
Mormonism
Introduction from Mormon sources
The next 20 slides are from a presentation
authorized by the Mormon church as an
introduction to their history and beliefs. This is
presented unchanged, with any highlighting and
minor changes in red. Please read from the
Mormon perspective when statements of truth are
made (i.e., some of the statements in the
following slides are unscriptural but presented in
complete form to not distort their view).
Mormon 101
1.
2.
3.
4.
Foundation
History
Practices
Doctrine
Foundation:
God Speaks Through Prophets
Moses
Isaiah
Adam
Abraham
Samuel
Foundation:
Comparison of Christian Churches
Catholic
Christ’s Church
Pope (Peter)
12 Apostles
Protestant
Mormon
Christ’s Church
Christ’s Church
Prophet (Peter)
Prophet (Peter)
12 Apostles
12 Apostles
Apostasy
Apostasy
Enlightenment
Restoration (1830)
Joseph
Smith
Martin
John
Luther
Wesley
(Lutheran) (Methodist)
God calls a prophet and
restores His church
12 Apostles
Etc.
Prophet (Gordon Hinckley)
12 Apostles
Pope Benedict XVI
Direct line of authority to Christ’s
Church. Pope is infallible.
No authority. Churches do their best
to understand true doctrine.
God calls new prophet and restores
authority. Prophet receives revelation.
History: Book of Mormon
5000 BC
4000 BC
3000 BC
2000 BC
Christ’s
Birth
1000 BC
1000 AD
2000 AD
New Testament
Old Testament
600 BC
421 AD
Book of Mormon
• The Book of Mormon
serves as a second
witness of Jesus
Christ.
• The American Indians
are the descendents of
the people in the Book
of Mormon.
Lehi commanded to leave Jerusalem
and sail to the Americas.
Christ visits the Americas as a
resurrected being after his death.
Last prophet (Moroni)
dies.
History: Joseph Smith
“Jesus” told him all Christian churches
were wrong and their doctrines an
abomination
1805
Birth
(Vermont)
Hidden since
420AD
1820
First
Vision
1823
1827 1829 1830
Receives Receives
Book of
Gold
Mormon in Plates
Palmyra, NY
(Moroni)
Aaronic
Book
Of Mormon
Published
Church
Priesthood Organized
Restored
(John The Baptist)
Melchezidek
Priesthood
Restored
(Peter, James and
John)
1836
Sealing
Powers
(Elijah)
1844
Martyrdom
(Illinois)
History: Mormon History Timeline
Nauvoo was the largest city
in Illinois in 1845 with a
population of 20,000.
70,000 saints traveled the
1300 mile Mormon Trail before
the railroad arrived in 1869.
Saints Settle in
Utah
1847
Brigham Young,
second prophet.
Colonization
(Settled over 600 Communities)
Saints Settle in
Nauvoo, Illinois
1840-1846
Saints Settle in
Jackson County, Missouri
1831-1839
There were 26,000
members when Joseph
Smith was Martyred in 1844.
First Temple Built
Kirtland, Ohio
1831-1838
Church Organized
Fayette, New York
1830
History: Church Membership
6
1830
Today
• 52,500 Mormons in Chicago
• 54% of Mormons live outside United States
13 million
Prominent Mormons
• Stephen Covey
• Mitt Romney
• Senator Orrin Hatch
• Gladys Knight
• J. W. Marriott
• Steve Young
• The Osmonds
4 million
250,000
1896
500,000
1,000,000
1930 1947
1978
2006
Practices: Church
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Lay Clergy – The clergy at the Mormon church is not paid. Normal
members serve as bishop for 5-7 years.
Sermon – The sermon each Sunday is given by different members
each week.
Fast Sunday – The first Sunday of each month Mormons fast 24
hours (two meals) and donate the money saved to poor.
Sabbath Day – Mormons keep the Sabbath day holy by refraining
from shopping, work and leisure activities.
Home Teaching – Pairs of men are assigned to teach and watch
over 2-5 families.
Visiting Teaching – Pairs of women are
assigned to teach and watch over 2-5
women.
Mutual – The youth meet every
Wednesday evening to work on Scouting
for the young men and a similar program
for the young women.
Practices: Church Organization
Jesus Christ
Prophet
12 Apostles
Seventy
Stakes
(8-10 Wards per stake)
Wards
(200-400 members per ward)
Jesus Christ leads his church by
communicating with the prophet.
Chosen by God as a prophet, seer,
revelator and president of the church.
Called as a special witness of Jesus Christ.
They are called to serve until they die.
Go about the church teaching and
organizing under the direction of the 12
apostles.
A Stake President leads a stake. He
is called to serve for 7-10 years.
A Bishop leads a ward. He is
called to serve for 5-7 years.
The name of the church is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. “Of
Latter-Day Saints” is used distinguish today’s church from the church in Christ’s
time. The Mormon church is a nick name.
Practices: Commandments
•
•
•
•
10 Commandments – Mormons
keep the 10 commandments.
Tithing – Mormons believe in the law
of tithing (donating one-tenth of their
increase to the Lord).
Word of Wisdom – Mormons keep a
modern commandment called the
Word of Wisdom. They do not
consume caffeine(tea, coffee),
alcohol or tobacco.
Law of Chastity – No sexual
relations out of wedlock.
Practices: Home
•
•
•
Family Home Evening – Mormons reserve Monday evening for
family night. Family night typically includes: prayer, songs, lesson,
game and treat.
Prayer – Mormon prayers are extemporaneous, not memorized.
They pray to the father in the name of the Son. They say blessings
on their food at each meal. They are encouraged to pray together as
a family morning and evening. They also say individual prayers for
others, help, comfort, questions and protection.
Scripture Study – Mormons are encouraged to study the scriptures
as a family and as an individual each day.
Practices: Preparedness
•
•
•
Food Storage – Mormons are
taught to be prepared by keeping
a year’s supply of food and
money.
72 Hour Kits – Mormons are
taught to have a kit containing
food and other preparedness
items to take with them in times of
an emergency.
Gardens – Mormons are
encouraged to grow a vegetable
garden.
Practices: Ordinances
•
•
•
•
Baptism – Mormons choose to be baptized at age 8.
They believe that children who die before the age of
eight are innocent and saved through the atonement of
Christ.
Priesthood – All worthy men in the church may hold
the priesthood. Young men hold the Aaronic
priesthood giving them the power to administer the
sacrament and baptize. Men hold the Melchezideck
priesthood giving them the authority to give the gift of
the Holy Ghost, bless the sick and lead the church.
Temple Endowment – Adult members go to the
temple to receive their endowment, an extension of
their baptismal covenants. Only worthy members may
enter the temple.
Eternal Marriage – Couples are married in the temple
for eternity. Also, children are sealed to their parents
for eternity. Marriages for time are performed in the
chapel.
Counter:
Matthew 22:22-29
Practices: Temple Worship
• Temples – There are 120 temples in operation today. Temples
used to perform ordinances for the living and the dead. The dead
may then choose to accept or reject the ordinances that have
been done for them. Temples are closed on Sundays and
Monday evening.
• Baptisms for the dead – Youth and adults go to the temple to
perform baptisms for the dead.
• Genealogy – Mormons research their ancestors so they can do
ordinance work for them.
• Genealogy Resources – The Mormon church has the largest
genealogy library in the world. Records are photographed around
the world and stored on microfilm.
–
–
–
–
2.4 million rolls of microfilm, 742,000 microfiche
Currently 200 cameras filming in 45 countries
725 million names transcribed into computer
36 million names linked to families
Washington DC Temple
Practices: Education
•
•
Seminary – High school students attend seminary every morning at
6am before school.
BYU – The church operates Brigham Young University. It has
campuses in Utah (30,000), Idaho (11,600) and Hawaii (2,400).
Practices: Missionary Work
•
•
•
Missions – Mormon young men are
encourage to serve two-year missions at
age 19. Mormon young women may also
serve missions at age 21. Retired older
couples also serve missions. Missionaries
pay for their own living expenses. There are
currently 56,000 fulltime missionaries.
Missionary Work – Mormons believe it is
there responsibility to share the gospel of
Jesus Christ and the news of the restoration
of His church with others.
Belief About Other Churches – Mormons
believe that all people have the right to
worship as they wish. Mormons believe that
other churches have some truth and that
God has restored additional truths through
his modern day prophets.
Doctrine: Plan of Salvation
1 Cor 15:40-41
Rev. 12:7, Jer. 1:5
2/3
Earth
Alma 34:31-35
Spirit
World
Spirit and
Mortal Body
Problems
- Death
- Sin
Jesus Christ
Spirit
Terrestrial
Kingdom
Good people of the
world
Telestial
Kingdom
Thieves, murderers,
etc.
Outer
Darkness
Deny Jesus Christ
after having a
perfect knowledge
1 Peter 3:19, 4:6
Alma 40:11-14
Veil of
Forgetfulness
Intelligence
Accept Jesus Christ,
baptized, temple
ordinances
1 Cor 15:12-22
Judgment
God’s
Plan
Prison
Paradise
Resurrection
Pre-Earth
Life
Purposes:
- Obtain a body
- Be tested
Death
Satan
Satan’s
Plan 1/3
Body’s Birth
Spirit’s Birth
Agency
Celestial
Kingdom
Spirit Spirit and
Immortal Body
Solutions
- Resurrection
- Atonement
Mormonism
•
•
•
The following slides are from a Mormon leader
regarding a study on why Mormon’s leave their
church (lesson was entitled “Why they leave?”)
Provides insight into the inner challenges
facing regarding doctrine and perception of
their history
Slides are unchanged from original source
Every year, thousands of devout
members leave the LDS Church, or
go inactive
•
•
•
•
•
5th or 6th generation Mormons
Descendents of prominent church leaders
Returned missionaries
Married in the temple
Families
Worldwide Church Activity Rates
Active
Inactive
Active
4-5M
Inactive
7-8M
Salt Lake Tribune,
Merrill Bateman
Southpark -- ”About the Mormons”
Larry King / Gordon B. Hinckley
On Polygamy:
“It’s not
doctrinal”
On God once
being a man:
“I don’t know
much about it.
I don’t know
that we teach
it.”
Newsweek
“After Smith ordered an antagonistic
printing press destroyed …”
“By the end of his life, he had
accrued some 30 wives, massive
debt and hundreds of enemies. ‘I
never told you I was perfect,’ he told
his followers. “
"Decades of serious and honest
scholarship have failed to uncover
credible evidence that these Book of
Mormon civilizations ever existed,"
--Southerton
Mark Hoffman
“But why, some still
ask, were his deceits
not detected by the
several Church
leaders with whom he
met?”
-- Dallin H. Oaks
Brigham Young – Journal of Discourses
"You see some classes of the human family
that are black, uncouth, uncomely,
disagreeable and low in their habits, wild,
and seemingly deprived of nearly all the
blessings of the intelligence that is
generally bestowed upon mankind. …the
Lord put a mark upon him, which is the flat
nose and black skin. Trace mankind down
to after the flood, and then another curse is
pronounced upon the same race — that
they should be the 'servant of servants;'
and they will be, until that curse is
removed; and the Abolitionists cannot help
it, nor in the least alter that decree"
--Brigham Young JOD v. 7 p. 290
"Shall I tell you the law of God in regard to the
African race? If the white man who belongs to the
chosen seed mixes his blood with the seed of
Cain, the penalty, under the law of God, is death
on the spot. This will always be so"
--Brigham Young JOD vol. 10, p. 109
What I learned growing up in the Church
• Joseph Smith
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Was a pure, innocent boy
Turned down alcohol in surgery
Saw God and Jesus
Translated the Book of Mormon using the “Urim
and Thumim”
Had one wife—Emma
Was falsely accused and persecuted
“Lamb to the slaughter”
Was 2nd to Jesus in righteousness
What the history/facts seem to tell us
Aside from all the good we know about Joseph…we also know that….
• Joseph used a “magical peep stone” to help people try to find buried
treasure (Many sources). This was the reason for some of the early
“trials” and court cases involving Joseph (Court records)
• First vision has multiple, and varied accounts (Pres. Hinckley)
• The same peep stone mentioned above was used to “translate” the
Book of Mormon--stone in a hat, plates not in sight. (Russell M.
Nelson)
• Joseph drank beer and wine as an adult (his own journal)
• Joseph had 30 wives, some of them married to other men, several
teenagers (familysearch.org)
• Joseph denied polygamy publicly (Oaks)
• Exposure of polygamy and destruction of printing press led to
martyrdom (Oaks)
What I learned growing up in the Church
• Book of Mormon
– “Most correct book on earth”
– Found in the Hill Cumorah, in NY, where it
was buried by Moroni
– Is a history of the Native Americans of
Central, South, and North America
• Book of Abraham
– Translated from papyrus
What the history/facts seem to tell us
Aside from all the good in the Book of Mormon
•
•
•
•
•
Has had over 4,000 changes. Many minor, some major
Geography? “Narrow neck”?
Which Cumorah? Where is Cumorah? No one knows.
Where are the steel swords? Armor? Bones?
Horses? Elephants? Steel? Barley? Wheat? 7 day
calendar?
• DNA? 95+% Asiatic
• Who are the Lamanites?
• View of the Hebrews
Book of Abrham--Experts agree (Nibley included)—is not a
translation of the papyrus
What I learned growing up in the Church
• Church Leadership
– “Follow the prophet”
– The prophet “talks with God”
– Words of modern prophets are scripture. “When
the brethren have spoken, the discussion ends”
– Mormon Doctrine was just that.
– LDS General Authorities are among the most
righteous people in the world.
What the history/facts seem to tell us
In spite of having some great leaders, they have not been perfect
• Brigham Young
– Racist teachings
• Journal of Discourses: Dead
• Church History: Less than candid
• Big changes
– Polygamy: from everlasting to embarrassment
– Blacks: from “never in this life” to “what ban?” “Policy not doctrine”
• Mormon Doctrine
– Massive errors. Elder McConkie censured and punished
• Paul Dunn, George P. Lee, Richard Lyman
• Mark Hoffman
• Abuses
– Sexual
– Baptismal
– Ecclesiastical
What I learned growing up in the Church
• Church Doctrine
– Same yesterday, today, and forever
– Straight from God to the Prophets
• Word of Wisdom
– Joseph turned down wine, Jesus drank grape juice
• Temple Ceremony
– Direct from God
What the history/facts seem to tell us
• Pres. Hinckley on Larry King:
– On men becoming Gods and vice versa: “I don’t
know that we teach it. I don’t know that we
emphasize it.”
– On polygamy “Not doctrinal”
• Word of Wisdom
– Not commandment until early 1900s. Many
prophets/apostles drank/used tobacco
– Joseph had a bar in his mansion. Drank wine the
night before he was murdered.
• Temple Ceremony
– Many direct connections to Masonic lodge
– Drastic changes in ceremony from inception to
now
Homework for Wednesday
• Read the section on Mormonism in the workbook
• Study all of 1 Corinthians 15, and pay specific
attention to verse 29
• Study all of 1 Peter 3, and pay specific attention to
verses 19-20
• Future lessons
• Examination of doctrine in more detail
• Consider the prophecies of Joseph Smith – true
or false?
• Suggestions for studying with a Mormon “Elder”