Post by pitbull on Dec 12, 2005 9:30:30 GMT -5
Mormon Fact Sheet
The Mormon movement began with "the prophet" Joseph Smith, Jr. in the year 1820. Joe (as he was known) was born to some rather strange parents in 1805. His mother, Lucy, was involved in occult practices and visions, while his father, Joseph, Sr., consumed much time with imaginary treasure digging (including the booty of Captain Kidd).
According to Mormon writings (Pearl of Great Price, Joseph Smith - History 1:1-25), on a day in 1820, Joe was praying in the woods when he received a vision from God the Father and Jesus. It was revealed to Joe that the church was in apostasy and he was the chosen one to launch a new dispensation.
Being unwilling to drop his current occupation of money-digging with his father (while using "peep stones" and "divining rods"), Joe put his "calling" on hold for three years. Then, according to his own account (Pearl of Great Price, Joseph Smith - History 1:29-54), he was paid a bedside visit by the angel Moroni in 1823. Moroni, who professed to be the glorified son of a man named Mormon (who had been dead 1400 years), told Joe about a book of golden plates which contained "the fulness of the everlasting Gospel." This book was said to have been buried at Cumorah Hill, near Palmyra, New York, some 1400 years earlier by the man named Mormon. Four years later (1827), Joe supposedly dug up the golden plates along with a gigantic pair of spectacles which he called "the Urim and Thummim." The spectacles were for translating the hieroglyphics on the plates. With the help of his only legal wife and a friend named Oliver Cowdery, Joe translated the plates and published the Book of Mormon in 1830. Later that same year, Joe, his wife, his brothers (Hyrum and Samuel), and Cowdery established the "Church of Jesus Christ," which is known today as the "Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints."
The Book of Mormon contains many plagerisms of the King James English (at least 25,000 words). This is strange since the plates were supposed to have been in the ground many centuries before the King James Bible was completed in 1611! The Book of Mormon also contains many errors such as claims of elephants in the Western Hemisphere and advanced metal producing capabilities in America before 400 A.D. (See Walter Martin’s Kingdom of the Cults for a fine study in the errors of the Mormon Bible)
The Mormons, under Smith’s command, turned out to be a rough bunch. Joe was a polygamist with at least twenty-seven wives (some say over 60 wives). The whole gang left New York for Ohio, and then moved to Missouri. The Missouri governor ran them out of the state, so they settled in Nauvoo, Illinois, and built the state’s largest city. In 1844, Joe and Hyrum were thrown in jail. Then an angry mob stormed the jail and murdered them both. Naturally, this "martyrdom" insured the perpetual reverence of the great "prophet" Joseph Smith.
The "church" then split. The Smith family headed for Independence, Missouri and started what is now the "Recognized Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints." However, the majority of Smith’s followers chose Brigham Young as their new captain.
To escape U.S. laws, Young led the Mormons from Nauvoo to Salt Lake City in 1847 (which then belonged to Mexico). For the next thirty years, Young and his "saints" laid the foundation stones of the Mormon cult.
Little known to most Mormons, Young was a rather rough and ruthless character. In 1857, he commanded Bishop John D. Lee to murder a wagon train of over one hundred helpless non-Mormon immigrants. Twenty years later Lee was convicted and executed by the U.S. Government. Young escaped punishment, and his role in the Mountain Meadows Massacre has escaped the Mormon history books.
Young spent most of his "ministry" dodging the law to continue the immoral practice of polygamy. At the time of his death in 1877, Young had seventeen wives and fifty-six children.
Today the Mormon church is administrated by its "General Authorities." These authorities consist of the "First Presidency," the "Counsel of Twelve Apostles," the "First Quorum of the Seventy" and its presidency, the "Presiding Bishoprick," and the "Patriarch of the Church."
Male Mormons over twelve years of age are divided into priesthoods. The Aaronic order is the lesser priesthood, and the Melchizedek order is the higher.
The church is divided into thousands of "wards" and "stakes," with over 2000 branches and 180 missions, and over 5,000,000 members. Mormons are very missionary-minded people, with over 26,000 active missionaries. However, much of this missionary army consists of young men and women in their early twenties who must serve two years in missionary work while supporting themselves.
The Mormon people of today are highly respected in our society, but there is nothing respectable about their doctrines. Their principle heresies are [with the Bible passages that condemn them]:
1. Annihilation – Matthew 25:41; Luke 16:24
2. Baptismal Regeneration – I Corinthians 1:17
3. Deity of Man – John 1:12
4. Denial of the Blood Atonement – John 1:29; Acts 20:28; Romans 5:8-9; Colossians 1:20; Hebrews 9:22
5. Denial of the Deity of Christ – Isaiah 9:6; Matthew 1:23; John 1:1; 10:30; etc.
6. Denial of the Deity of the Holy Spirit – Job 33:4; Psalm 104:30; John. 14:16, 26; 16:8-14; Acts 5:3-4; I Corinthians 6:11; Ephesians 1:13, 4:30, etc.
7. Denial of a Literal Burning Hell – Deuteronomy 32:22; Matthew 5:22; 18:8-9; 25:41; Luke 16:22-24; James 3:6; Revelation 14:11
8. Denial of the Physical Resurrection of Christ– Luke 24:38-39; John 20:27; 1 Corinthians 15:12-19
9. Denial of a Sin Nature from Birth – Psalm 51:5; 58:3; Romans 3:10; 3:23; 5:12
10. Denial of the Trinity – Matthew 28:19; II Corinthians 13:14; I John 5:7
11. Multiple Authorities – Isaiah 8:20; II Timothy 3:16 17
12. Polytheism – Genesis 1:1; Malachi 2:10; Mark 12:29; I Corinthians 8:5-6
13. Salvation through Works – Galatians 2:16; 3:22; Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5
14. True Church Theory – Ephesians 4:4; 5:23-32; Colossians 1:18-24; Hebrews 12:23; Revelation 19:7; 5:9-10; 21:9
Techniques To Help Win A Mormon To Christ
Most Mormons that you meet will claim to be “Christians” and that they belong to a “Christian church”. They will sometimes use Biblical terminology that may confuse the common person. Stick to using the King James Bible and demonstrate to them how to be saved from the Scriptures:
1. Show them from the Bible that we are all sinners. Use any of the following verses: Psalm 14:1, 3; 51:5; 53:6; Isaiah 64:6; Romans 3:10, 23; Romans 5:19; Galatians 3:22; 1 John 1:8.
2. Show them from the Bible that there is a penalty for our sins that we have earned [i.e. wages], which includes a literal and fiery Hell. Use any of the following verses: Psalm 9:17; Proverbs 27:20; Ezekiel 18:4; Romans 5:12; 6:23; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10; James 1:15; Revelation 20:14-15; 21:8.
3. Show them from the Bible that that God loves us and because this Christ paid the penalty for our sins. Use any of the following verses: John 3:16; Romans 5:8; 6:23.
4. Show them from the Bible that Christ is the only way to Heaven. Use the following verses: John 14:6; Acts 4:12.
5. Show them from the Bible that works [religion, getting baptized, joining a church, giving a tithe, being good to family and friends, being a law-abiding citizen, helping our neighbors, living a clean life, doing good deeds, etc.] will not get us into Heaven. Use the following verses: Galatians 2:16; Ephesians 2:8-9; 2 Timothy 1:9; Titus 3:5.
6. Show them from the Bible that after we realize the truth of God’s Word and the Gospel, we need to prayfully repent of our sins and ask Jesus to save us. Use the following verses: Mark 1:15; John 6:28-29; Acts 16:30-31; 17:30; Romans 10:9,13.
The Mormon movement began with "the prophet" Joseph Smith, Jr. in the year 1820. Joe (as he was known) was born to some rather strange parents in 1805. His mother, Lucy, was involved in occult practices and visions, while his father, Joseph, Sr., consumed much time with imaginary treasure digging (including the booty of Captain Kidd).
According to Mormon writings (Pearl of Great Price, Joseph Smith - History 1:1-25), on a day in 1820, Joe was praying in the woods when he received a vision from God the Father and Jesus. It was revealed to Joe that the church was in apostasy and he was the chosen one to launch a new dispensation.
Being unwilling to drop his current occupation of money-digging with his father (while using "peep stones" and "divining rods"), Joe put his "calling" on hold for three years. Then, according to his own account (Pearl of Great Price, Joseph Smith - History 1:29-54), he was paid a bedside visit by the angel Moroni in 1823. Moroni, who professed to be the glorified son of a man named Mormon (who had been dead 1400 years), told Joe about a book of golden plates which contained "the fulness of the everlasting Gospel." This book was said to have been buried at Cumorah Hill, near Palmyra, New York, some 1400 years earlier by the man named Mormon. Four years later (1827), Joe supposedly dug up the golden plates along with a gigantic pair of spectacles which he called "the Urim and Thummim." The spectacles were for translating the hieroglyphics on the plates. With the help of his only legal wife and a friend named Oliver Cowdery, Joe translated the plates and published the Book of Mormon in 1830. Later that same year, Joe, his wife, his brothers (Hyrum and Samuel), and Cowdery established the "Church of Jesus Christ," which is known today as the "Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints."
The Book of Mormon contains many plagerisms of the King James English (at least 25,000 words). This is strange since the plates were supposed to have been in the ground many centuries before the King James Bible was completed in 1611! The Book of Mormon also contains many errors such as claims of elephants in the Western Hemisphere and advanced metal producing capabilities in America before 400 A.D. (See Walter Martin’s Kingdom of the Cults for a fine study in the errors of the Mormon Bible)
The Mormons, under Smith’s command, turned out to be a rough bunch. Joe was a polygamist with at least twenty-seven wives (some say over 60 wives). The whole gang left New York for Ohio, and then moved to Missouri. The Missouri governor ran them out of the state, so they settled in Nauvoo, Illinois, and built the state’s largest city. In 1844, Joe and Hyrum were thrown in jail. Then an angry mob stormed the jail and murdered them both. Naturally, this "martyrdom" insured the perpetual reverence of the great "prophet" Joseph Smith.
The "church" then split. The Smith family headed for Independence, Missouri and started what is now the "Recognized Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints." However, the majority of Smith’s followers chose Brigham Young as their new captain.
To escape U.S. laws, Young led the Mormons from Nauvoo to Salt Lake City in 1847 (which then belonged to Mexico). For the next thirty years, Young and his "saints" laid the foundation stones of the Mormon cult.
Little known to most Mormons, Young was a rather rough and ruthless character. In 1857, he commanded Bishop John D. Lee to murder a wagon train of over one hundred helpless non-Mormon immigrants. Twenty years later Lee was convicted and executed by the U.S. Government. Young escaped punishment, and his role in the Mountain Meadows Massacre has escaped the Mormon history books.
Young spent most of his "ministry" dodging the law to continue the immoral practice of polygamy. At the time of his death in 1877, Young had seventeen wives and fifty-six children.
Today the Mormon church is administrated by its "General Authorities." These authorities consist of the "First Presidency," the "Counsel of Twelve Apostles," the "First Quorum of the Seventy" and its presidency, the "Presiding Bishoprick," and the "Patriarch of the Church."
Male Mormons over twelve years of age are divided into priesthoods. The Aaronic order is the lesser priesthood, and the Melchizedek order is the higher.
The church is divided into thousands of "wards" and "stakes," with over 2000 branches and 180 missions, and over 5,000,000 members. Mormons are very missionary-minded people, with over 26,000 active missionaries. However, much of this missionary army consists of young men and women in their early twenties who must serve two years in missionary work while supporting themselves.
The Mormon people of today are highly respected in our society, but there is nothing respectable about their doctrines. Their principle heresies are [with the Bible passages that condemn them]:
1. Annihilation – Matthew 25:41; Luke 16:24
2. Baptismal Regeneration – I Corinthians 1:17
3. Deity of Man – John 1:12
4. Denial of the Blood Atonement – John 1:29; Acts 20:28; Romans 5:8-9; Colossians 1:20; Hebrews 9:22
5. Denial of the Deity of Christ – Isaiah 9:6; Matthew 1:23; John 1:1; 10:30; etc.
6. Denial of the Deity of the Holy Spirit – Job 33:4; Psalm 104:30; John. 14:16, 26; 16:8-14; Acts 5:3-4; I Corinthians 6:11; Ephesians 1:13, 4:30, etc.
7. Denial of a Literal Burning Hell – Deuteronomy 32:22; Matthew 5:22; 18:8-9; 25:41; Luke 16:22-24; James 3:6; Revelation 14:11
8. Denial of the Physical Resurrection of Christ– Luke 24:38-39; John 20:27; 1 Corinthians 15:12-19
9. Denial of a Sin Nature from Birth – Psalm 51:5; 58:3; Romans 3:10; 3:23; 5:12
10. Denial of the Trinity – Matthew 28:19; II Corinthians 13:14; I John 5:7
11. Multiple Authorities – Isaiah 8:20; II Timothy 3:16 17
12. Polytheism – Genesis 1:1; Malachi 2:10; Mark 12:29; I Corinthians 8:5-6
13. Salvation through Works – Galatians 2:16; 3:22; Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5
14. True Church Theory – Ephesians 4:4; 5:23-32; Colossians 1:18-24; Hebrews 12:23; Revelation 19:7; 5:9-10; 21:9
Techniques To Help Win A Mormon To Christ
Most Mormons that you meet will claim to be “Christians” and that they belong to a “Christian church”. They will sometimes use Biblical terminology that may confuse the common person. Stick to using the King James Bible and demonstrate to them how to be saved from the Scriptures:
1. Show them from the Bible that we are all sinners. Use any of the following verses: Psalm 14:1, 3; 51:5; 53:6; Isaiah 64:6; Romans 3:10, 23; Romans 5:19; Galatians 3:22; 1 John 1:8.
2. Show them from the Bible that there is a penalty for our sins that we have earned [i.e. wages], which includes a literal and fiery Hell. Use any of the following verses: Psalm 9:17; Proverbs 27:20; Ezekiel 18:4; Romans 5:12; 6:23; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10; James 1:15; Revelation 20:14-15; 21:8.
3. Show them from the Bible that that God loves us and because this Christ paid the penalty for our sins. Use any of the following verses: John 3:16; Romans 5:8; 6:23.
4. Show them from the Bible that Christ is the only way to Heaven. Use the following verses: John 14:6; Acts 4:12.
5. Show them from the Bible that works [religion, getting baptized, joining a church, giving a tithe, being good to family and friends, being a law-abiding citizen, helping our neighbors, living a clean life, doing good deeds, etc.] will not get us into Heaven. Use the following verses: Galatians 2:16; Ephesians 2:8-9; 2 Timothy 1:9; Titus 3:5.
6. Show them from the Bible that after we realize the truth of God’s Word and the Gospel, we need to prayfully repent of our sins and ask Jesus to save us. Use the following verses: Mark 1:15; John 6:28-29; Acts 16:30-31; 17:30; Romans 10:9,13.