ANSWERS: 54
  • EDITED VERSION A mormon is a follower of the teachings of Joseph Smith. Smith claimed to have a revelation via an angelic being called Moroni that "fulfilled" the New Testament and gave a history of the coming of Jesus to the Americas. This became the Book of Mormon. Although the Mormons still use the Bible, they acknowledge the superiority of the Book of Mormon, which teaches many many different doctrines than conventional Christianity: eg -that God the Father is only the god of this world, and that Jesus is his physical son.There is a mother god, (Articles of Faith, by James Talmage, p. 443.)"Therefore we know that both the Father and the Son are in form and stature perfect men; each of them possesses a tangible body . . . of flesh and bones." (Articles of Faith, by James Talmage, p. 38). God is married to his goddess wife and has spirit children, (Mormon Doctrine p. 516.) The birth of the Saviour was as natural as are the births of our children; it was the result of natural action. He partook of flesh and blood - was begotten of his Father, as we were of our fathers." (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 8: p. 115). "Elohim is literally the Father of the spirit of Jesus Christ and also of the body in which Jesus Christ performed His mission in the flesh ..." (First Presidency and Council of the Twelve, 1916, God the Father, compiled by Gordon Allred, pg. 150). -that each world has its own divinity, whose task it is to populate that world.God used to be a man on another planet, Mormon Doctrine, p. 321. Joseph Smith, Times and Seasons, Vol 5, pp. 613-614; Orson Pratt, Journal of Discourses, Vol 2, p. 345, Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, vol. 7, p. 333.) -each male has the duty to marry and sire as many children as possible ( the souls of these spirit babies wait to be implanted into mortal women)"We were first begotten as spirit children in heaven and then born naturally on earth", (Journal of Discourse, Vol. 4, p. 218.) The first spirit to be born in heaven was Jesus, (Mormon Doctrine, page 129.) The Devil was born as a spirit after Jesus "in the morning of pre-existence," (Mormon Doctrine, page 192.) -when a male Mormon dies, he can become god of his own world, with his wife as consort. they can then begin their own earthly family."After you become a good Mormon, you have the potential of becoming a god", (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pages 345-347, 354.) "Then shall they be gods, because they have no end; therefore shall they be from everlasting to everlasting, because they continue; then shall they be above all, because all things are subject unto them. Then shall they be gods, because they have all power, and the angels are subject unto them," (DC 132:20). -that a Mormon woman cannot enter the Celestial kingdom without a husband: LDS Apostle Erastus Snow preached the following on Sunday, Oct. 4, 1857: Do the women, when they pray, remember their husbands?... Do you uphold your husband before God as your lord? "What!—my husband to be my lord?" I ask, Can you get into the celestial kingdom without him? Have any of you been there? You will remember that you never got into the celestial kingdom [during the temple ceremony] without the aid of your husband. If you did, it was because your husband was away, and some one had to act proxy for him. No woman will get into the celestial kingdom, except her husband receives her, if she is worthy to have a husband; and if not, somebody will receive her as a servant. (Journal of Discourses, vol. 5, p. 291) - Jesus' death did not achieve salvation:"One of the most fallacious doctrines originated by Satan and propounded by man is that man is saved alone by the grace of God; that belief in Jesus Christ alone is all that is needed for salvation." (Miracle of Forgiveness, Spencer W. Kimball, p. 206.) A plan of salvation was needed for the people of earth so Jesus offered a plan to the Father and Satan offered a plan to the father but Jesus' plan was accepted. In effect the Devil wanted to be the Savior of all Mankind and to "deny men their agency and to dethrone god." (Mormon Doctrine, page 193; Journal of Discourses, vol. 6, page 8.) Jesus' sacrifice was not able to cleanse us from all our sins, (murder and repeated adultery are exceptions), (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 3, p. 247, 1856.) There is no salvation without accepting Joseph Smith as a prophet of God, (Doctrines of Salvation, Vol. 1, p. 188.) there are many other beliefs that run counter to the teachings of orthodox Christianity. As for blacks, until the 70s, they were not allowed to be part of the Mormon priesthood as they were believed to have been cursed, but a "revelation" around the time of equal rights changed this. I remember speaking to a Utah resident overseas at the time this was happening, and she said that "revelation" often happened when a Mormon doctrine was viewed as abhorrent by the rest of the American population (eg the change of heart on polygamy)
  • Good question, Nellie. I hope I can help out a little. A Mormon is someone who belongs to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints or the LDS Church. The name Mormon is pretty much a nickname. The basic beliefs of the Church can be found at www.mormon.org or www.lds.org. That's the best source of information you are going to find on their religion. I don't know what resources are available to you, but I know you have access to the internet. lol. That will answer your question better than anyone on AnswerBag can. The question about black people not being able to go to heaven is false. There was a point in time where blacks were not allowed to hold the Priesthood in the Church, but as far as being a member and going to heaven, that's a completely different story. Mormonisn is of Christian origin. They believe in the teachings of Christ. They have the Bible as well as The Book of Mormon, which is just another Testament of Jesus Christ. It's basically a history of the people in Ancient America (the Aztecs, Incas, and Mayans) and their dealings with God. Like the Bible is a history of prophets that lived in various times, before and after Christ. The Book of Mormon is basically the same thing, showing a record of God's dealings with man at a different time. Your best bet is to go to those websites and look for yourself. Even in these comments from others, there are several inaccurate "facts". It's best to get the information and decide for yourself. Remember, AnswerBag can only do so much. People are given points on this website if something "sounds good", not for it's accuracy. So the "experts" here, might not be all they are cracked up to be. But, great question!
  • A Mormon is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. There are some fundamental differences between Mormon beliefs and those of conventional Christianity, particularly LDS (Mormon) rejection of many of the creeds that came about after the deaths of the original apostles (ie the Nicene creeds). The basic formula is the same: the LDS church believes we were created by God, who sent his son Jesus Christ to save the world from sin and death. Through Christ everyone can be saved in the kingdom of God. As for the issue with black people--the LDS Church absolutely does NOT believe they can't go to heaven. EVERYONE--man, woman, child, etc of any color has an equal chance. Any references you see that say otherwise are NOT from doctrinal sources, and the people who post them don't seem to know the importance of that. I will tell you the history as far as I know-- During the time of Joseph Smith, the perception of the LDS church by outsiders was quite opposite as now. Joseph Smith was anti-slavery, and many of the church members would befriend and try to proselyte to the slaves. Joseph Smith did not want to promote any more antagonism, however, and said that no slaves should be taught without his/her master's permission. When Joseph Smith presented his bid for election as President of the United States, he developed a plan to free the slaves without a war by selling public land to buy the slaves from the South and free them. In this way he hoped to end slavery without bankrupting the South. It should also be noted that blacks did receive the priesthood at this time. A well-known example is Elijah Able, who became a Seventy in the Church (I believe--maybe an Elder). The idea that blacks should not hold the priesthood did not take force until after Joseph Smith's death, though Abel's position was never revoked. The problem is, NO ONE seems to know why blacks were suddenly withheld from the priesthood. There is no reference I've ever seen or heard to explain it. Most of the articles you read concerning Church leaders speaking on this were after Joseph Smith's death. There is no 'revelation' that I'm aware of on this matter. I hate to say it may have been a mistake by Church leaders, but I confess it is a possibility. Not that I think it is fair to judge them too harshly, as they had a LOT of problems to deal with at that time, and nobody is perfect. And don't forgot, there was a similar issue in the New Testament. Remember when Peter refused to eat at the same table as the Gentiles, and was chastised by Paul? But Peter had to find a balance between the feelings of the Jews (who felt they should not eat with the unclean 'Gentiles' and the gentiles converted by Paul. In a nutshell--in Mormon doctrine, a black person and a white person have an exactly equal chance to get into heaven. Anyone who says otherwise is simply wrong. This is a faith issue of many Mormons, particularly black converts, of which I know many who have had to struggle with the issue, but with proper prayer/study have been able to overcome it.
  • I am a Mormon.
  • A Mormon is a person that is involved in the LDS Church (Later Day Saints). The LDS were started by Joseph Smith a farm boy who made up the religion with a religious novel called the Book of Mormon... He wrote the book of Mormon to obtain money to make his family rich... Thier docterine & beleifs differ from the Holy Bible & Christians due to the following facts: 1) The LDS beleive the Elohim is thier God, Elohim is a glorified man who became God... 2) Jesus according to the LDS is a spirit brother of satan... 3) The Death of Jesus did not complete Gods plans for salvation... 4) Blacks are not allowed (AS FAR AS I KNOW) to be temple workers but are allowed to be in the 'Stakes' the LDS Churches... For further information by FORMER LDS look up: http://www.utlm.org/ http://www.hismin.com
  • Please see: http://www.blacklds.org/ for any past issues about black folk.. and www.lds.org for basic beliefs
  • A mormon is someone who follows the theology created by Joesph Smith & others back in 1822 or so... IN THE OLD DAYs the early LDS leaders wrote against the Negro or Black folk from obtaining thier priesthood & such... all ya gotta do is look things up on the internet....
  • Latter Day Saints believe that the Authorities and Priesthood Keyss that Jesus gave to his disciples while He was on earth was taken from the earth when everyone who had been given it was killed. The belief is that Jesus personally came to earth restored his church to Joseph Smith in the 1800s, giving him the keys and the Authority to act in His name... Joseph gave the keys to others, who gave the keys to others, etc... Latter Day Saints believe not only in Christ and His Atonement (through His crucifixion) for our sins, but we also believe in living a lifestyle that is in tune with the commandments that Jesus gave us. We believe that Jesus actively plays a role in the leadership of the church through a prophet and general authority. I fought for years with Mormons (as a Southern Baptist), and never understood the message until I sought out the answers for myself. Don't let anyone form your opinion for you. The internet is a VERY biased place, and you will find a lot of opposition there. To know what Mormons are about, you can view it straight up on their website: www.lds.org (And it looks like a lot of the above was cut/paste from Anti-Mormon websites LOL... I doubt any one of them have even truly looked into the religion. The amount of opposition to the church only strengthens my belief that if we weren't doing 'something' right, there wouldn't be so many against us =)
  • The curse of Ham in Mormonism Main article: Blacks and Mormonism In Mormonism, the racial interpretation of the curse of Ham was introduced as part of restored Biblical passages of the Bible. These passages, known as the Pearl of Great Price, were according to Joseph Smith and the Church of Latter Day Saints, lost to corruption over time. In this, the LDS church affirms that the Bible had originally contained these passages as either part of Genesis, or part of two other books written by the two most significant Jewish prophets of the Bible: the Book of Moses and the Book of Abraham. In the Book of Moses chapter 7 verses 8 & 22 says: Chapter 7:8 For behold, the Lord shall curse the land with much heat, and the barrenness thereof shall go forth forever; and there was a blackness came upon all the children of Canaan, that they were despised among all people. Chapter 7:22 And Enoch also beheld the residue of the people which were the sons of Adam; and they were a mixture of all the seed of Adam save it was the seed of Cain, for the seed of Cain were black, and had not place among them. The Book of Abraham identifies the Canaanites and Ham as ancestors of the first Egyptian dynasty. The first recorded indication of his acceptance of the doctrine is found in a parenthetical reference as early as 1831. (Manuscript History 19 June 1831).
  • After the death of Joseph Smith, Jr., Brigham Young, the church's second president, was a vocal advocate of the doctrine that people of African ancestry were under the curse of Ham, and that this curse was a rationalization for slavery and societal bans on interracial marriage. They also stated that the day would come when this curse would be made null and void through the saving powers of Jesus Christ. (Simonsen, Reed, "If Ye Are Prepared", pp. 243-266).
  • I am going to college in Utah and I am not LDS, I was totally shocked when I began talking to persons of the mormon religion. I have come to believe that they are not all but majority here in Utah are the most ignorant people I have ever been around! They are supposed to be these good religious people and it turns out they are judgemental, and not very nice people. The first question I am asked is "what ward do you belong to?" when I reply that I am not mormon the conversation suddenly stops! I think it is so rude because I am a nice person. I would never judge anyone but suddenly I am the one being judged. There are even instances of because I drink coffee I am alienated and talked bad about. I think it is absurd and the people of the mormon religion need to wake up and understand that you DO NOT have to be a member of their church to be a good person!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If mormons did not act in such terrible ways, maybe outsiders wouldn't ask these weird questions about the religion!!!!!
  • WHAT EXACTLY IS A MORMON? A Mormon is a member of any of the 150+ sects which broke off from the Church of Christ founded by Joseph Smith, Jr, in 1830. To avoid confusion with the many other sects called the Church of Christ, Joseph later renamed his sect The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Joseph Smith Jr was asked the basic tenets of Mormonism, and what sets it apart from the rest of Christianity. Joseph wrote a long response known as the Wentworth Letter. Within the Wentworth Letter are 13 articles of faith (now located within the Pearl of Great Price): 1. We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost. (The Trinity in Mormonism is comprised of 3 separate Personages) 2. We believe that man will be punished for his own sins, and not for Adam's transgression. (Forget being "born into sin" or "original sin") 3. We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel. (faith without works is dead) 4. We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentances; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost. 5. We believe that a man must be called of God, by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands by those who are in authority, to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof. (no man takes this honor upon himself) 6. We believe in the same organization that existed in the Primitive Church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, and so forth. 7. We believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions, healing, interpretation of tongues, and so forth. (gifts of the spirit to follow the believers) 8. We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God. (We accept the Book of Mormon as a companion to the Bible in our Canon) 9. We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God. (continuous revelation) 10. We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon this (the American) continent; that Christ will reign personally upon the earth; and, that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisaical glory. (We believe in the Millennial Reign of Jesus) 11. We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may. (Freedom of Religion - even if the President is Mormon) 12. We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in objeying, honoring, and sustaining the law. 13. We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul - We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things. (all good things come from God) IS IT TRUE THAT NO BLACK PEOPLE CAN NOT GO TO THE MORMON HEAVEN? This question has been asked several times before. In a nutshell, all people except the sons of Perdition will inherit a kingdom of glory. However, only the righteous who are baptized may enter the Celestial Kingdom (the highest kingdom of glory). None of these perquisites is predicated upon race.
  • Mormons are not considered Christian by most other Christian denominations, because their views about Jesus are radically different (he is literally God's offspring, after resurrection he came to Native Americans, he will also become a God and have his own worlds to rule, he's white, etc etc.) As to the question about black people, they are, as of the late 1970's, allowed to have full church membership. Even before that some black people were allowed to go to heaven; Joweph Smith had a "negro" woman, "Black Jane" Elizabeth Manning, sealed to him as his "servator" in heaven for time and all eternity. That lucky gal!
  • Being honest I never actually knew what a mormon was but I just got done watching a documentary on PBS (i think you can watch it on PBS.org). There was some good I saw but with the history of the mormons and the mormon church as well as the mormon "prophets", pigs will fly before I accept even the thought of embracing mormonism. Everyone should research it for themselves. That is simply where I stand. Permanently.
  • Black people can go to heaven....anyone can
  • Mormons believe that "Father God" was once a flesh and blood mortal human being on another planet until he got promoted to "God" status. He now lives on the planet Koleb with his harem of millions of spirtual wives making millions of spirit-babies who then incarnate on Earth. If you go through all the Mormon sacred rituals (most of them strangely similar to the degree-rites of Masonry) and tithe faithfully to the Mormon "church', then-= and only then! - when you die (if you're a man) you'll be promoted to God status and be given your own planet to reign on with your own harem of spiritual-goddess-wives, and will also have another planet where your spirit-children will incarnate on. The cycle continues ad infinitum ad nauseum.
  • Nellie, The differences between Mormonism and Christianity are many. They are, however, difficult for a lot of people to understand, because Christians and Mormons define some very important basic concepts differently. They also identify God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit differently. In both religions reference is made to salvation, faith, works, Heaven, etc.; and, most importantly, to God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit (or Holy Ghost). In Ephesians 2: 8 and 9, the Bible says, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." Grace is unmerited favor. In other words, Jesus died to save us from our sins, though we did not merit His favor. God even gave us the faith to receive the salvation Jesus made available to us by His death on the Cross, so that no one could claim that they had earned salvation by their own works. (Remember the last six words of verse 8 regarding faith - "it is the gift of God.") Mormons claim that one is saved by following "the laws and ordinances of the gospel." If one has to follow "laws and ordinances" in order to receive a free gift, then it's not free. In the book of Galatians, Paul spoke to the Christians in Galatia, who had been told that they must keep following the Mosaic law. Paul was a Jew who had accepted Jesus Christ as his Saviour, and Paul wrote in Galatians 2: 16, "Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified." Does this mean that Christians think that freedom in Christ means that one should engage in just any behavior? No. The difference is that Christians believe that one who has truly accepted Christ will be changed and will be empowered by the presence of the Holy Spirit in his or her life to bear "fruit" that shows that a salvation experience has taken place. Galatians 5: 22 and 23 says, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law." So, acceptance of salvation will lead to a change in one's "works," but one does not earn salvation by one's works. This is a key distinction. Preaching that one must earn (in any way) salvation is preaching a "different gospel." Galatians 1:8 says, "But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed." Paul repeats that admonition in the very next verse. The gospel Paul preached was not a gospel based on earning salvation (even in part) by works. Mormons also do not believe in the Trinity - a concept not called out by name in Scripture; but nonetheless, taught. See I John 5: 7 "For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one." [Jesus is referred to as the Word many times in the New Testament.] See also Genesis 1:26 - "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness..." Mormons also preach that "many plain and precious parts" had been lost from the Bible by the time Joseph Smith came along. This was before the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls from about 1947 to 1956. The paragraph below, from www.allaboutarchaeology.org/Dead-Sea-Scrolls.htm , explains more about the scrolls, and leads one to wonder which "plain and precious parts" of Scripture the Mormons think were lost. "Based on various dating methods, including carbon 14, paleographic and scribal, the Dead Sea Scrolls were written during the period from about 200 B.C. to 68 A.D. Many crucial biblical manuscripts (such as Psalm 22, Isaiah 53 and Isaiah 61) date to at least 100 B.C. As such, the Dead Sea Scrolls have revolutionized textual criticism of the Old Testament. Phenomenally, we find the biblical texts in substantial agreement with the Masoretic text, as well as variant translations of the Old Testament used today." The Mormons have added the Book of Mormon, The Doctrine and Covenants, The Pearl of Great Price, The Book of Abraham, and more to what they consider Scripture and place the contents of these above The Holy Bible wherever there is disagreement between their "new" scriptures and The Holy Bible. The Book of Abraham was a book (papyri, actually), which was written in Egyptian hieroglyphics. Joseph Smith "translated" the book. Scholars who came after him translated the book and found it to be an Egyptian funeral text called "The Book of Breathings" and not a book about Abraham, as Joseph Smith "translated" it to be.
  • Hi Nellie, you ask two questions - let me start with the second one. Here is a scripture directly from the Book of Mormon: "He [God] doeth nothing save it be plain unto the children of men; and he inviteth them all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the heathen; and all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile." (2 Nephi 26:33) This website will help clarify many of your misconceptions about what Mormons teach about blacks: http://www.blacklds.org/ As for your second question - thanks for asking. What do Mormons believe and what are the effects of these Mormon beliefs? I recently posted some blog entries that I hope begin to give you a better idea about what it was like to grow up as a Mormon (facts about Mormons): http://www.clintrogersonline.com/blog/2007/10/17/about-being-a-mormon-christian-facts-about-mormons/
  • mormons don't believe in "heaven" per-se but NO race is excluded from the highest levels of exhultation in the mormon after life..
  • The Christian Bible has 2 Testaments: Old Testament and New Testament. The Mormons were founded by Joseph Smith who claimed to have received I believe it was golden tablets with what is now known as The Book Of Mormon (another testament of Jesus Christ).
  • 1st of let me go right to the point.. God has said more than once he is no respecter of person. therefore, race, or ethicnicy cant keep someone out of the gates of heaven.... if you woudl liek to knwo more about the LDS/ mormon church.. go to LDS.ORG
  • Sorry, accidentally posted an answer instead of a comment.
  • They believe even more weird stuff than other Christians. Magic underwear, magic sunglasses, leather submarines,... and the list goes on.
  • A lot of different angles on Mormonism in the answers. Most comments on the name say that Mormonism is a nickname and leave it at that without explaining how it got the nickname or what it means. One can understand the need for a convenient label when the correct one is as unwieldy as ' the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints'. Who's going to say or write all that everytime they want to mention or identify the faith.
  • I admit that any imagination fertile enough to believe that U&T are scientific, if as yet not understood, is one I couldn't possibly hold a candle too. I'd be curious as to what other "science" falls into this category. However, my primary point about Mormons stands - "They believe even more weird stuff than other Christians."
  • Not a lot of time to post. Headed to church. :) But start here. http://lds.org http://mormon.org http://jesuschrist.lds.org http://americantestament.blogspot.com (for a couple of regular members' commentary on their own beliefs).
  • True_to_the_faith and others, Going to the LDS.org site does not help at all since it does not talk about its questionable, and many times, revised teachings such as the first church teachings that black people COULD NOT go to heaven. It will not answer questions about Joseph Smith saying he is god (Joseph Smith - "God made Aaron to be the mouthpiece for the children of Israel, and He will make me to be god to you in His stead, and the Elders to be mouth for me; and if you don't like it, you must lump it." History of the Church, vol. 6, p. 319-320 (1844), OR answer that you must have J.Smith's approval to enter heaven (Brigham Young - "no man or woman in this dispensation will ever enter into the celestial kingdom of God without the consent of Joseph Smith. ... every man and woman must have the certificate of Joseph Smith, junior, as a passport to their entrance into the mansion where God and Christ are." Journal of Discourses, vol. 7, p. 289 (1869) AND God is married to his goddess wife and has spirit children, (Mormon Doctrine p. 516.) AND that man must practice polygamy to go to heaven with his WIVES and they can only go to heaven through their husband's approval. Doctrine and Covenants. Section 132:4 declares: "For behold, I reveal unto you a new and everlasting covenant; and if ye abide not that covenant, then are ye damned; for no one can reject this covenant and be permitted to enter into my glory." AND that a woman can only go to heaven IF her husband decides she can and that he must take her through the veil. (This is yet another of the scary sexist teachings.) AND that the temple rituals are Masonic, intentionally secretive so as to not cause dread or fear, and they are frightening even to some who are true believing Mormons. Imagine doing this: making a slashing motion from ear to ear,and saying "We...covenant and promise that we will not reveal any of the secrets of this... Should we do so, we agree that our throats be cut from ear to ear and our tongues torn out by their roots.' ...Oh, yes, and in the past you will be disemboweled as well if you told of the temple rituals. A few more unbiblical teachings to consider: blood atonement baptism of the dead Adam was God plural marriage brings exaltation God lives on a planet named Kolob Being dark and loathsome keeps you from the priethood Mormons are NOT Christians. Why would they want to be called Christians when the Journal of Discourses states : Christians are heathens as to knowledge of salvation (vol. 8, pg. 181) Christians are ignorant (vol. 8:199) Does the LDS missionary talk about these things when he comes to your house? Why is the Mormon Church's leadership afraid to publicly and openly teach ALL Mormon doctrine? BTW, I did not cut and paste and part of this other than the reference from the Mormon writings.I am NOT anti-Mormon. I am anti-cults that trap good people into false religion.
  • Going to the LDS.org site does not help at all since it does not talk about its questionable, and many times, revised teachings. Revised teachings from an unchanging God "God is unchanging - Book of Mormon - Moroni 8:18; Mormon 9:9; 1 Nephi 10:18 LDS.org will not answer questions about Joseph Smith saying he is god (Joseph Smith - "God made Aaron to be the mouthpiece for the children of Israel, and He will make me to be god to you in His stead, and the Elders to be mouth for me; and if you don't like it, you must lump it." History of the Church, vol. 6, p. 319-320 (1844), OR answer that you must have J.Smith's approval to enter heaven (Brigham Young - "no man or woman in this dispensation will ever enter into the celestial kingdom of God without the consent of Joseph Smith. ... every man and woman must have the certificate of Joseph Smith, junior, as a passport to their entrance into the mansion where God and Christ are." Journal of Discourses, vol. 7, p. 289 (1869) AND God is married to his goddess wife and has spirit children, (Mormon Doctrine p. 516.) AND that man must practice polygamy to go to heaven with his WIVES and they can only go to heaven through their husband's approval. Doctrine and Covenants. Section 132:4 declares: "For behold, I reveal unto you a new and everlasting covenant; and if ye abide not that covenant, then are ye damned; for no one can reject this covenant and be permitted to enter into my glory." AND that a woman can only go to heaven IF her husband decides she can and that he must take her through the veil. (This is yet another of the scary sexist teachings.) AND that the temple rituals are Masonic and intentionally secretive in order to prevent dread and fear, and frightening even to some who are true believing Mormons. Imagine doing this: making a slashing motion from ear to ear,and saying "We...covenant and promise that we will not reveal any of the secrets of this... Should we do so, we agree that our throats be cut from ear to ear and our tongues torn out by their roots.' ...Oh, yes, and you will be disemboweled as well. A few more unbiblical teachings to consider: blood atonement baptism of the dead Adam was God plural marriage brings exaltation God lives on a planet named Kolob Being dark and loathsome keeps you from heaven--“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.” (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 10, page 110) “Think of the Negro, CURSED AS TO THE PRIESTHOOD.... This negro, who, in the pre-existence lived the type of life which justified the Lord in sending him to the earth in the lineage of Cain with a BLACK SKIN, and possibly being born in darkest Africa—if that negro is willing when he hears the gospel to accept it, he may have many of the blessings of the gospel. IN SPITE OF ALL HE DID IN THE PRE-EXISTENT LIFE, the Lord is willing, if the Negro accepts the gospel with real, sincere faith, and is really converted, to give him the blessings of baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost. If that Negro is faithful all his days, he can and will enter the celestial kingdom. He will go there AS A SERVANT, but he will get celestial glory.” Mark E. Petersen,Quorum of the Twelve Apostles Mormons are NOT Christians. Why would they want to be called Christians when the Journal of Discourses states : Christians are heathens as to knowledge of salvation (vol. 8, pg. 181) Christians are ignorant (vol. 8:199) Does the LDS missionary talk about these things when he comes to your house? Why is the Mormon Church's leadership afraid to publicly and openly teach ALL Mormon doctrine? BTW, I did not cut and paste any of this other than the references to the Mormon writings. I am not anti-Mormon. I am anti-cults who trap good people that are seeking the one TRUE GOD.
  • Romans 5:8 (King James Version) 8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
  • The authority of Scripture is greater than the comprehension of the whole of man's reason. Martin Luther
  • 13 You have shown yourselves to be worthy by what you have given. So people will praise God because you obey him. That proves that you really believe the good news about Christ. They will also praise God because you share freely with them and with everyone else. 2 Corinthians 9:13 (New International Reader's Version)
  • Religion: human attempts to be "good enough" for God by following laws and teachings of men Relationship: a daily walking in fellowship with God
  • Matthew 5:14-16 You're here to be light, bringing out God in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don't think I'm going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I'm putting you on a stand. Now that I've put you there on a hilltop--shine! ...be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven. (Paraphrase)
  • I really have to learn to use this site…I cannot tell if my comments are posted until I have posted it too many times! The comment spaces don’t allow too much follow-up but I like the exchanges here. Nellie, I am sorry that I have pulled the answers away from your original question. That said, Proud2B4family, I realize that hate is a strong word. I can hate things like darkness, adultery, or “isms” such as Mormonism, but to hate the people involved? No! I hate what alcohol does to alcoholics but I do not hate the alcoholic. I can hate the deception of misleading religions and cults but never the deceived but sincere seeker of God. One of the strongest examples of this is embracing the heartbroken woman who has aborted her unborn baby. We love the sinner by faithfully and lovingly witnessing to her of the forgiveness that is available through Jesus Christ. True love is treating her with respect and kindness even though she knows you do not approve of her choice. I must love her enough to not leave her stuck in sin and suffering her heartbreak without God’s comfort. It is not unkind to tell a person they are in sin. There is really nothing that I can do to “convert” you. No statement that I make will cause lightening to strike and you have a religious epiphany. This is why I completely trust in the provenance of God—He gave His Word through the Bible and only the Bible. It gives the plan that God uses to save us from our sins. In my reading of the Book of Mormon, in Nephi 25:23, it teaches that, "it is by grace that we are saved, after all WE can do." Comparing this to the Bible's teaching, salvation is wholly of grace, not by grace plus works. Ephesians 2:10 tells me that good works are a result of a right relationship with God but they are not our salvation. "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Ephesians 2:8,9 ( KJV) As to your question regarding criticism of your accepting Jesus Christ as your savior while following LDS doctrine: if you believe Nephi 25:23 then you must work to save yourself—that is not a right relationship with God. Again, it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, IT IS THE GIFT OF GOD-NOT BY WORKS, SO THAT NO ONE CAN BOAST. That is one fundamental truth of Christianity that is very wrong in Mormonism. I do not condemn you, just the Mormonism--Jesus did not condemn anyone, He came to give us the GIFT of salvation. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to CONDEMN the world; but that the world through HIM might be saved." John 3:16,17 Believe me when I say that I speak in love and in confidence of the Bible, the Word of God.
  • First of all, let me say that I am not a evangelical tough love minister. I am not a purchaser or moneymaking peddler of tripe. I have read the Book of Mormon, the D&C, studied at the LDS.org site and read histories of Joseph Smith. The LDS sites do not answer the questions that I mentioned above. For example, the question of black people in heaven. Alma 41:8 says that "the decrees of God are unalterable" but Mormon 5:15 (Prophecy about Lamanites) ". . .shall become a dark, a filthy, and a loathsome people, beyond the description of that which ever hath been amongst us . . .". This teaching was changed around 1978, a period of the civil rights movement. I did not mean to be disrespectful or did I mean to take up so much space under this question.But maybe this exchange of information will be helpful to the original poster, Nellie Wise Gamgee. LDS members are family oriented people with admirable values and ethics. I love Mormon people but I HATE Mormonism. BTW, without being disrespectful, if you are taught to believe that the LDS church is the One True Church then shouldn't you be trying to convert me instead of blah, blah,blah and "I guess I told you!" types of answers? Matthew 5:14-16 You're here to be light, bringing out God in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don't think I'm going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I'm putting you on a stand. Now that I've put you there on a hilltop--shine! ...be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven. (Paraphrase)
  • A Christian is a man who has become certain of eternal life through Jesus Christ. ... Emil Brunner
  • He prays well who is so absorbed with God that he does not know he is praying. François de Sales
  • 1. Mormons (members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) are Christians. We believe in God the Eternal Father, and in his Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost. We also read and follow the teachings in the Holy Bible. 2. What differentiates us from other Christian sects is that we believe the following: - God has not ceased speaking to mankind through prophets, which is the way He organizes and establishes communication with His Church. Nor will He cease from doing so. For anyone to state otherwise, they would, ironically, have to have received a revelation saying that God no longer talks to us through prophets. See Amos 3:7 - "Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets." We believe all that God has revealed, all that he does now reveal, and we believe that he will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God. - There are over 450 different translations of the Bible, in English alone. In spite of that, we believe the Bible to be the word of God, as far as it is translated correctly. We use the King James Version because God revealed, through a prophet, that it is the version we are to use. We also believe the Book of Mormon, which was revealed to Joseph Smith, a prophet of God, to be the word of God as taught to His children who lived in the Western Hemisphere anciently. - Over the centuries, Christianity has divided itself into numerous denominations. Those divisions were almost always because of some difference in opinion about beliefs or practices. Therefore, each contemporary denomination has its own distinctive beliefs or practices. In the U.S. alone today, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of individual Christian sects and cottage churches. While claiming to teach the same Christ who was crucified for our sins, their doctrinal points and practices (baptism, gift of the Holy Ghost, priesthood authority, interpretation of scriptures, etc.) vary. We (Mormons) believe that, from the beginning, God established "One Lord, one faith, one baptism." (Ephesians 4:5) and that, if He had wanted it otherwise, He would have said "divide ye here" and "divide ye there". That was not the case, as shown by Biblical scripture. Were it not for the vain ambitions of men seeking glory within the primitive Church's congregations, it would have stayed that way. - In light of the point above, we believe that God saw fit to restore His church in the days prior to Christ's coming. He did this to correct many false teachings and practices that had divided the Church into so many denominations and sects, many of which fought bloody wars with one another. He did so by following the pattern He has always followed: raising up and calling a prophet to gather and teach and unify the people under one restored Church. That prophet was Joseph Smith. - We believe that a man must be called of God, by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands by those who are in authority, to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof. - We believe in a succession of the authority mentioned above. In other words, when Joseph Smith was murdered in cold blood by a mob of people who "hated Mormonism", God had already revealed the methods by which His authority would be delegated and perpetuated. You see, in addition to calling Joseph Smith as the prophet, in the same way as Peter was in the primitive Church, a quorum (group) of 12 additional men, known as apostles, were called as well. When a prophet dies, the authority of that man as prophet, seer, and revelator passes to the quorum of the apostles. They seek God's will, by asking Him for a revelation, as to who the next prophet is to be. When they are unanimous in their decision as to what God has revealed, the authority temporarily held in the quorum of the twelve passes permanently to the new prophet. When that prophet dies, a new prophet is selected in the same manner. For all the years of LDS Church history, this has been the process. - Finally, we are different from other Christian denominations in that we claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may. This is in spite of the fact that, like the early Christian Church, members of the LDS faith, in the early days of its founding, were persecuted mercilessly, chased out of their homes and communities, physically and verbally abused, and even murdered for what they believed. As a result, we have a great appreciation for what the apostle Paul said to the Philipians: "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."
  • Otter, thanks for your thoughts. I personally think the answer to your point is in the consideration that "God's path is set, having overcome ALL. He permanently is who He is, having now indelibly set His person, He is therefore now beyond temptation. He cannot be tempted. It is hard to put this concept in words: It is not merely that He still chooses not to ... having overcome all, there IS no evil in Him, nor disposition to do evil. It is now permanently, built in ... He has made His choices, and completed His test. His glory also affirms that. Evil has no light, nor glory. It's just not there, if you know what I mean; there has to be weakness for their to be temptation or disposition in the least for evil. That is permanently overcome. That's as best as I can explain it. God bless ... and especially for all your efforts and intuitive response. I'm sure they are most helpful.
  • A Mormon is someone who belongs the Mormon faith. The Mormon beliefs began in 1820's when the angel Moroni supposidly visited young Joseph Smith and instructed him to begin the Mormon faith. He published a book of his beliefs and the history of an American race in 1844 and Smith was executed soon after. The Mormons do have some racist ideas in the texts but they are a very accepting group and believe salvation is through Jesus Christ alone.
  • http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=Mormon+vs+Christianity&btnG=Google+Search&aq=f&oq= http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=are+mormons+christian&btnG=Search http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=mormon+lies&btnG=Search http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=mormon+deception&btnG=Search
  • One comment regarding the above question suggested that, “it looks like a lot of the above [referring, I assume, to my comment as well as to some of the other comments] was cut/paste from Anti-Mormon websites LOL... I doubt any one of them have even truly looked into the religion. The amount of opposition to the church only strengthens my belief that if we weren't doing 'something' right, there wouldn't be so many against us.” In reply, I’ll go through my original answer point-by-point, adding comments from LDS “scriptures,” the writings of their “prophets” and “apostles,” their Journal of Discourses, and their Doctrines of Salvation. LDS members do indeed preach that salvation must be earned. See 2 Nephi 25:23, Book of Mormon “…for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do.” Compare this to Ephesians 2:8-9 THE HOLY BIBLE (KJV), “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." Mormonism claims that there are three Gods (in reference to the Gods of this planet). In reality they believe in many, many Gods. See teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 370, “I will preach on the plurality of Gods…I have always declared…Jesus Christ a separate and distinct personage from God the Father, and that the Holy Ghost was a distinct personage and a Spirit: these three constitute three distinct personages and three Gods.” Compare this to I John 5: 7, THE HOLY BIBLE (KJV), "For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one." Also see the words of Jesus in John 10:30, THE HOLY BIBLE (KJV), “I and my Father are one.” Read Isaiah 43:10-11, THE HOLY BIBLE (KJV), “Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.” Look up Isaiah 45:5-7 and 18. Compare these with John 1:1-3, esp. v. 3 and Genesis 1:1. All of these references are in THE HOLY BIBLE. Regarding “many parts which are plain and most precious” having been “taken away from the gospel of the Lamb,” (I Nephi 13:26, Book of Mormon), please allow me to quote from www.4mormon.org. “24,000+ partial and complete New Testament manuscripts including 5,000+ original Greek manuscripts, some dated within 100 years of the original writings, agree with 99% accuracy…Discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls (125 B.C.) compared with copies written 1,000 years later (900 A.D.) reveal no significant differences.” In addition, I will repeat the quote in my original answer from www.allaboutarchaeology.org/Dead-Sea-Scrolls.htm , which is definitely not an “anti-Mormon” website. "Based on various dating methods, including carbon 14, paleographic and scribal, the Dead Sea Scrolls were written during the period from about 200 B.C. to 68 A.D. Many crucial biblical manuscripts (such as Psalm 22, Isaiah 53 and Isaiah 61) date to at least 100 B.C. As such, the Dead Sea Scrolls have revolutionized textual criticism of the Old Testament. Phenomenally, we find the biblical texts in substantial agreement with the Masoretic text, as well as variant translations of the Old Testament used today." Regarding The Book of Abraham, which is actually part of The Pearl of Great Price, even many Mormon scholars agree that The Book of Abraham is a funerary text from Ancient Egypt, not the writings of Abraham in Egypt. May I also suggest that the commenter find and read Charles M. Larson's book By His Own Hand Upon Papyrus: A New Look at the Joseph Smith Papyri. Finally, I question why Mormons are so “hot” to be considered Christians when one of their “prophets,” John Taylor, said, “we talk about Christianity, but it is a perfect pack of nonsense…it is corrupt as hell; and the Devil could not invent a better engine to spread his work than the Christianity of the nineteenth century.” (1858, Journal of Discourses, vol.6, p.167) One may well ask, how did this come about, since Jesus declared in Matthew 16:18, “…I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” As to Mormon attitudes toward people of African ancestry, Native Americans, and others with darker skin, the following statements by former Mormon “prophets” and “apostles” may be of interest. The first comment is attributed to Joseph Smith. "Had I anything to do with the negro, I would confine them by strict law to their own species and put them on a national equalization.'' Quote below attributed to Mark E. Peterson (Quorum of the 12 Apostles). "At least in the cases of the Lamanites and the negroes we have the definite word of the Lord Himself that He placed a dark skin upon them as a curse - as a punishment and as a sign to all others. [Lamanites was the Mormon word for Native Americans.] The quote below is from a Mormon General Conference talk given by Spencer W. Kimball in 1960. Spencer W. Kimball became the president of the Mormon Church in 1975. "The day of the Lamanites is nigh. For years they have been growing delightsome, and they are now becoming white and delightsome, as they were promised. [...] The children in the home placement program in Utah are often lighter than their brothers and sisters in the hogans on the reservation. Statements below attributed to Bruce R. McConkie (Quorum of the 12 Apostles). The negroes are not equal with other races when the receipt of certain spiritual blessings are concerned..." ...As a result of his rebellion, Cain was cursed with a dark skin; he became the father of the negroes" "Cain Ham, and the whole negro race have _ cursed with a black skin, the mark of Cain, so they can be identified as a caste apart, a people with whom the other descendants of Adam should not intermarry." Finally, note the following from the Mormon work, Doctrines of Salvation, Volume 1, pp.66-67 "There is a reason why one man is born black and with other disadvantages, while another is born white with great advantage. The reason is that we once had an estate before we came here, and were obedient, more or less, to the laws that were given us there. Those who were faithful in all things there received greater blessings here, and those who were not faithful received less.... There were no neutrals in the war in heaven. All took sides either with Christ or with Satan. Every man had his agency there, and men receive rewards here based upon their actions there, just as they will receive rewards hereafter for deeds done in the body. The Negro, evidently, is receiving the reward he merits." For more such quotes, see http://nowscape.com/mormon/negro2.htm.
  • It all depends on who has the right to determine the definition of what a Christian is. I prefer to give this authority to the earliest Christians on record to deal with the topic of what makes one a Christian. According to these early Christian bishops, a Christian is one who believes in the Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, three persons in one God. In this case Mormons do not qualify. This is not meant to be an insult, I have come to know and befriend many Mormons, however, they don't fit the definition of those who I consider to have the authority to determine such things. I would be a hypocrite to just consider anyone who I befriend as a Christian.
  • http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=Book+of+Mormon+fact+or+fiction&btnG=Google+Search&aq=f&oq= Book of Mormon fact or fiction
  • A Mormon is a follower of the teachings of Joe Smiths' cult started back in the early development of our country. U will find that one of the "Traits" of all cults is they make statements usually time sensitive that they later have to "Recant" or change their position on. This concerning "Blacks" as U noted is just one of many, many things this "Johnny come Lately cult has had to deal with. They like others, (catholics for example) use hand selected & twisted parts of the Bible to appear as if they are "Christian". Cult also want to "Control" all aspects of Ur life, arranging marriages, schooling, missionary activity, where U live etc.. If U need "Structured Military Environ" then U'll be happy, but Jesus Christ came to set Us free not continue our "Captivity" in Sin. John
  • I'll add a few things to the list in the interest of completeness. If some of these have already been mentioned, my apologies. My wife's family is Mormon, and I have had the opportunity to read a great deal of their literature. In respect, here are some of the points I discovered (mostly without editorialization): 1. They believe the book of Mormon is superior to the Bible, and the Doctrines & Covenants superior to them all - I have read this, though some may claim differently. Joseph Fielding Smith, the tenth Prophet, Seer and Revelator of the LDS Church wrote, "In my judgment there is no book on earth yet come to man as important as the book known as the Doctrine and Covenants, with all due respect to the B. of M. and the Bible, and the P. of G.P. which we say are our standards in doctrine. The book of D. & C. to us stands in a peculiar position above them all" (D. of S., Vol. III, p. 198). LDS Apostle Bruce R. McConkie explains their view of "scripture:" "The Church uses the King James Version of the Bible, but acceptance of the Bible is coupled with a reservation that it is true only insofar as it is translated correctly (Eighth Article of Faith). The other three (The B.of M., D.& C., and P. of G.P.), having been revealed in modern times in English, are accepted without qualification" (M.D. p. 764). 2. removed. 3. They believe one of the original apostles (Paul I think?) is alive today somewhere. 4. They believe the garden of Eden was in America somewhere, possibly near Adam-ondi-Ahman (in Missouri) where Adam settled after being kicked out of Eden - my wife has been there. 5. They believe everyone is in heaven before they are born. 6. removed. 7. They believe the darker skinned among us bear the 'mark of Cain'. Editorial: which would suggest they are the descendants of the first murderer. Nowhere in the Bible does it indicate Cain was a dark skinned man. The Bible does not say where dark skinned people or light skinned people come from. If the mark of Cain does not necessarily mean you have dark skin - what does it mean to Mormons and how do they know you have it? Likewise, the Bible very clearly indicates Cain's family line was cut off at the deluge of Noah's day. (Noah was a descendant of Seth, Adam's 3rd son to be mentioned in the Bible - see Genesis 5 & 1 Chronicles). 8. They believe in going to war, yet you cannot be forgiven for murder. D. & C. 132:27 calls murder "the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost, which shall not be forgiven in the world nor out of the world." Editorial: Obviously the D&C refers to innocent life; however, what life is innocent in regard to human imperfection? Who among us has the real authority to determine who is innocent and who isn't as far as God is concerned? Likewise, it is not uncommon for soldiers to kill 'innocent' civilians either willfully or by accident. Murder is the act of killing someone else. There is no legal consent given which can change that act. 9. They believe they are sent to earth from heaven to be tested. 10. They believe good will go to 'good heaven', and bad to 'less good heaven'. There are 3 levels of heaven - Celestial, Terrestrial, and Telestial each corresponding to how good or bad you lived your life in line with their teachings. 11. They believe the righteous will get their own earth to rule over (each family will get his own) as gods. 12. Only go preaching for about 2 years. Women only 1. But can apparently go for more. 13. SOME believe you should not question the quorum of the twelve, and president - that the 'thinking has been done for you'. (confirmed by a former member of the Church of LDS) 14. They believe the Americas is the promised land. 15. They believe Adam and Eve are in heaven - and Adam is the keeper to the (non literal) keys to heaven. 16. They baptize people (via proxies) after they have died - even without their permission, including people who were never Mormons. Many famous deceased people have been baptized thus. My wife was personally baptized for over 20 deceased people as a teenager - none of which she personally knew. Apparently, everyone in the church (temple) is required to be baptized as a proxy for the dead. 17. They tithe, and if you don't tithe they will not offer official help (food items if your family is in need, etc.) 18. They are not allowed to drink certain caffeinated beverages as per Doctrines & Covenants. 19. Jesus visited America. 20. You may stop forgiving someone at a specific point if they continue doing something bad to you. Some Mormons agree with this, some don't. See Glen's comments below for clarification. (Editorial: Obviously, the Bible (when speaking of 77 times forgiveness) means indefinitely.) 21. They believe in multiple earths and multiple creations. 22. They believe in multiple creator Gods (with multiple universes?) 23. Doctrines & Covenants, which include the sayings of modern day 'prophets' (presidents of the organization) overrule old teachings from the Bible, the Book of Mormon, etc. 24. Dark skinned people (specifically those of the blood line of Ham, one of Noah's sons) were not allowed as priests until 1978. (Editorial: How does one know they are a descendant of Ham? See point 29. This has traditionally been dark skinned people. Mormons will tell you Ham's wife was "black" based on Jewish tradition - it doesn't take much to read between the lines.) 25. Adultery committed a second time is also listed as one of the unpardonable sins (D. & C. 42:25-26). (Editorial: the verses in the D&C are crystal clear) 26. Brigham Young said, "Now if any of you will deny the plurality of wives, and continue to do so, I promise that you will be damned (J. of D., Vol. III, p. 266). He also said, "The only men who become Gods, even the sons of God, are those who enter into polygamy" (J. of D. Vol. XI, p. 269). 27. Husbands, wives, and families are sealed when married - so they are together in heaven. Dead wives, dead husbands, and even two dead people may be sealed as well. 28. They believe God was once a man, on another world, and he became a God and now has dominion over this world. 29. At the age of 16, you receive a patriarchal blessing - they tell you what tribe you are from, tell you your future and what your life purpose is. You can be in the priesthood at age 12, but if you are told you are in the line of Ham at the age of 16, you can no longer serve in the priesthood. My wife's mother's blessing said: "she would seek education her whole life but never do anything with it." Just a few of the more interesting points I read. Most are contradictory with the Bible, which they still claim to follow; however, see point 1.
  • First, let's clarify that the LDS Church is NOT a Christian Church. (see http://www.concernedchristians.com/index.php?option=com_fireboard&Itemid=42&func=view&id=79038&catid=10 and http://www.concernedchristians.com/index.php?option=com_fireboard&Itemid=42&func=view&id=72805&catid=10) Rather it has been identified by former members and Cult Experts as a non-Christian Mind Control Cult. (see http://www.concernedchristians.com/index.php?option=com_fireboard&Itemid=42&func=showcat&catid=532) However, it masquerades as a Christian Church by using the same words, terminology, and forms but changes the underlying content. (see http://www.utlm.org/onlineresources/terminologymain.htm and http://www.concernedchristians.com/index.php?option=com_fireboard&Itemid=42&func=view&id=79531&catid=531) The following portal page will provide you with links that summarize the key differences between Mormonism and Mainstream Christianity: http://www.concernedchristians.com/index.php?option=com_fireboard&Itemid=42&func=view&id=73131&catid=10 Finally, since the LDS that have answered this question have attempted to posture themselves as the only valid source of information for the LDS Church I would like to first from a former Mormon who correctly said: "The ONLY place the public can get a 'responsible opposing viewpoint' of the Mormon story is Ex-Mormons/ anti-Mormons." -- Ex-Mormon posting on www.exmormon.org And I would point you to the following link to resources that will educate the reader on how the Leaders of the LDS Church practice and teach it's Missionaries and Members to "Lie for the Lord" to those investigating the LDS Church regarding what the organization really believes and practices: http://www.concernedchristians.com/index.php?option=com_fireboard&Itemid=42&func=showcat&catid=527 Finally, the embedded Videos will give you a good "jump start" on all the above if you would prefer to watch rather than read.
  • Black people most certainly can go to "Mormon heaven".
  • A true Christain church would not have murdered 128 men, women, and kids, in a wagon train that was just trying to get out of their territory. A true Christian church would not go after their opposition and destroy them economically. They would not infiltrate government agencies so that they could bring in their own members to take control of the taxpayer"s money. They would not spend hours and hours having mandatory meetings to try to corner markets so they can gain even more power over "the gentiles." They would not support their members "no matter what they did", as the mormons are known to do. They would not drive their enemies out of towns and cities, as they have so many people in this country. I've heard many believable stories because I have my own. And I know how absolutely true it is...........
  • The mormons are different when you consider the apostle Paul's admonition that any other Gospel than what the original Apostles preached should be considered accursed. Something like that. And the mormons say the book of mormon is "another gospel". Paul said that the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing. The mormons don't believe in the cross. The mormons have been killing and lying "for the Lord" since day 1. Didn't Jesus say a time would come when many would say "Lord, Lord, didn't we do all these things in Your Name?" Think about it.
  • Let me address your last question, first. "Not black people can go to Mormon heaven? 1.There is no such thing as Mormon heaven! 2.All Heavens and Hells belong to God. It is He who decides who will reside there. Now what is a Mormon? I know this has been answered before, "Mormon" is a nickname given to the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. When first given is was done so as a negative slander, for our belief in the Book of Mormon. Now however, we accept it in a favorable way. Now as to your 2nd. question,"How is a Mormon really different for any other Christian? Since Jesus Christ is the basis for both of our religions, I suppose we should start there. Those who call themselves Christian today, can be identified as "Orthodox" Christians, or Bible only Christians. However, what they do not tell you is that their actual belief in Jesus Christ came before there was a Bible. As a matter of fact they borrowed this doctrine from the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church concocted this doctrine when 318 Bishops were invited to attend a council, held at Nicea, in 325 AD, by a Sun Worshiper, named Emperor Constantine. The Bible would not come into existence until some 75 years after this time. Now the "Mormons" have received their doctrine from a young man named Joseph Smith, who at the age of 14, actually saw, in vision, God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ, who appeared to him. Joseph saw that 1. God and Jesus were two separate and distinct individuals. 2.Both of them have Resurrected, Glorified, Physical Bodies of flesh and bone. 3.He was told not to join any Church at that time because they were all wrong. And that their Creeds were an abomination in God's sight. 4.He was told that the heavens were no longer closed, that revelation was once again available to us, through the Holy Ghost. Now you see why we are so hated by both Catholics and Protestant Christians. ..Later
  • Mormons are not Christians. They believe that, while Jesus was a good man and prophet, he wasn't the son of God sent to die for our sins. That pretty much precludes them from Christianity.
  • We claim to be a Christian group, but our teachings differ from mainstream Evangelical Church doctrine. We believe in modern revelation, such as the Book of Mormon and current Prophets and Apostles. We believe that God the Father, the Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost are three separate beings but are one in cause and unity. We also interpret Biblical passages differently. I think it's fair to say that since the LDS Church is growing there we are getting more and more criticism. We don't teach that Black people will not go to Heaven. Christ invites all to come to him, without respect to color (see 2 Nephi 26:33, in the Book of Mormon). We believe in doing baptisms for those who died without the gospel (1 Corinthians 15:29). We believe that all of us are children of a Heavenly Father (see Ephesians 4:6). You can go to www.mormon.org and ask representatives of the Church questions about our religion.
  • A Mormon is someone who believes the Book of Mormon is True. The 2nd part of your question is a double negative but to cover both sides God does not judge by colour, so that would not affect a person getting into heaven.

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