Mormonism Examined
The churches of Christ Greet You (Romans
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, largest of the groups who accept Joseph Smith, Jr. as a prophet of God in these latter days, is commonly called "The Mormons." In this lesson we will examine some of their claims and doctrines. We will seek to understand why they become so committed and dedicated to their religious beliefs.
The name "Mormon" is not objectionable to most of
the Latter Day Saints. Dean B. Cleverly, executive assistant in the
Missionary Department of the LDS Stake in
This study is about what Mormonism is, what it
roots and
goals are, and how it operates as a religious confession around the
world
today. It is a subject that should be investigated by Mormon and
non-Mormon alike.
We are perfectly agreeable to what our Mormon friends believe. Joseph
Smith,
Jr., the first prophet, seer, and president of Mormonism claimed to
have
received a revelation directly from Jesus Christ to be given to one
Sidney
Rigdon at
"Wherefore, labor ye in my vineyard. Call upon the inhabitants of the earth and bear record, and prepare the way for the commandments and revelations which are to come. Now, behold this is wisdom; whoso readeth, let him understand and receive also; For unto him that receiveth it shall be given more abundantly, even power. Wherefore, confound your enemies; call upon them to meet you both in public and private; and inasmuch as ye are faithful their shame shall be made manifest. Wherefore, let them bring forth their strong reasons against the Lord. Verily, thus saith the Lord unto you -- there is no weapon that is formed against you shall prosper; and if any man lift his voice against you he shall be confounded in mine own due time. Wherefore, keep my commandments; they are true and faithful. Even so. Amen." (Doctrine and Covenants, Section 71, verses 4-11, page 115).
This revelation from Jesus through Joseph Smith
was not
intended for Rigdon alone. Notice that
the Lord said, "Now behold this is wisdom; whoso readeth..." This
includes all who believe this was really a revelation from Christ. The one who reads is to understand the
message, receives even more power. The
Mormon today who believes this was a revelation from Christ is not
afforded the
option of deciding whether the circumstances are right for a public or
private
attack against those who deny their doctrinal positions.
They have no choice, for to them, the Lord
has plainly commanded it. This study is not presented with enmity
toward
Mormons. It is at odds with the origin,
structure, doctrines, and practices of Mormonism.
There is much in Mormonism that is admirable and
worthy of
imitation. Their commitment to clean
living, evangelistic zeal, and concern for the family life in this
world is
commendable. Also, should they really
apply
the above revelation Smith claimed to have received, their willingness
to
defend publicly or privately their views is certainly praiseworthy.
Orson Pratt was one of the original Twelve
Apostles of
Mormonism and a prolific writer and speaker.
He wrote in regard to the Book of Mormon, "The nature of the
message in the Book of Mormon is such, that if true, no one can
possibly be
saved and reject it; if false, no one can possibly be saved and receive
it. Therefore, every soul in all the world
is equally interested in ascertaining its truth or falsity." (A Series
of
Pamphlets, R. James,
The late Bruce McKonkie, also an Apostle of
Mormonism wrote,
"The plain fact is that salvation itself is at stake in this matter. If the Book of Mormon is true -- if it is a
volume of holy scripture, if it contains the mind and will and voice of
the
Lord to all men, if it is a divine witness of the prophetic call of
Joseph
Smith -- then to accept it and believe its doctrines is to be saved,
and to
reject it and walk contrary to its teachings is to be damned. "Let this
message be sounded in every ear with an angelic trump; let it roll
round the
earth in resounding claps of never-ending thunder; let it be whispered
in every
heart by the still, small voice. Those
who believe the Book of Mormon and accept Joseph Smith as a prophet
thereby open
the door to salvation; those who reject the book outright or who simply
fail to
learn its message and believe its teachings never so much as begin to
travel
that course along the straight and narrow path that leads to eternal
life." (Ensign, November 1983, page 72).
Separated by over 130 years, two of Mormonism's most vocal Apostles have unequivocally drawn the line in sharp focus. Either we accept Mormonism, which is based on approval of the claims of Joseph Smith, Jr., and believe the Book of Mormon to be divinely inspired and revealed or we will be lost forever. The statements of Pratt and McKonkie remove the issue from the optional. It is no longer a matter that you can be right and turn down the claims of Mormonism. You cannot be saved if you reject their message, according to two of the highest officials Mormonism has ever produced.
Generally, the Mormons with whom most of us are familiar are clean shaven, healthy young people who know very little of true Mormonism. This is not said to their discredit. They are energetic and zealous. Most of them simply do not know this basic fact about their own religion. The last thing most of them would ever dream of saying is that you cannot be saved and reject their message. But that is exactly what the highest officials of their religion have repeated over many years. The prophet himself is on record on this point in very clear language. His explanation of his own condition just prior to receiving the angelic visitations reads like this.
"My mind at times was greatly excited, the cry and tumult were so great and incessant. The Presbyterians were most decided against the Baptists and Methodists, and used all the powers of both reason and sophistry to prove their errors, or, at least, to make the people think they were in error. On the other hand, the Baptists and Methodists in their turn were equally zealous in endeavoring to establish their own tenets and disprove all others. In the midst of this war of words and tumult of opinions, I often said to myself: What is to be done? Who of all these parties are right; or are they all wrong together? If any one of them be right, which is it, and how shall I know it?" (Joseph Smith, 1:8-10).
The prophet went on to conclude, "They were all
wrong..." (Verse 20). Smith was
forbidden by a divine personage to join any of the existing churches,
thus was
to establish the one true church, The Latter Day Saints. There is
nothing wrong
with claiming to be uniquely the one true church. The
Roman Catholic Church has held this view
of themselves for centuries. But to
claim it and not be willing to admit or defend it is repulsive. For to claim to have all the true teaching of
the Lord which are essential to the salvation of the world, and then be
unwilling to defend it, even in accord with the instructions of the
Lord
Himself, is weak and unworthy of anything remotely related to Deity. Also, if the claims of Joseph Smith, Jr., the
writings of two of Mormonism's most prestigious Apostles, and the
written
revelations of Mormonism are all true, then all religious confessions
and
communities are false, belong to Satan and salvation is only among
those who
follow the Mormon line.
What evidence is there to verify the Mormon claim?
The first
evidence upon which Mormonism must base its claim is the Book of Mormon
itself,
the other revelations they claim from God, and that Joseph Smith, Jr.
did, in
fact, receive the visit from the angel
Another evidence upon which Mormonism stands is
their claim
to having restored the church which Jesus established.
We will examine only the Book of Mormon in this
lesson, for if its credibility is destroyed, the entire structure of
Mormonism
crumbles.
When an examination of Mormonism begins a
fundamental fact
must be observed. Anything that was spoken or written by Joseph Smith,
Jr. has the
same weight as anything spoken by the true biblical prophets such as
Isaiah,
Jeremiah, and others. Anything spoken or
written by any of their Twelve Apostles carries the same authority
today as
what was spoken or written by the Apostles of Christ in the first
century. A true prophet is a speaker for
God and a
genuine Apostle is a spokesman for Christ.
When Moses expressed his lack of confidence in his ability to
speak for
God, God promised to be with his mouth (Exodus
What any of those among the Latter Day Saints who are believed to be prophets, apostles, seers, presidents, etc. have said or written must be believed without question. Mormons claim their "quorum of the twelve" occupies the place they think the apostles vacated and that the present president occupies the same place as Joseph Smith, Jr.
Mormonism is a religious system built upon the
foundation of
Joseph Smith, Jr., an alleged latter day prophet and upon the existence
of the Book
of Mormon, which is assumed to be divinely revealed through Joseph
Smith. It is based on alleged continued
revelation
from Heaven to mankind and claims to be the only way there is for
mankind to
every enjoy salvation. Those who reject
it, according to the direct statements of Mormon leaders, are lost and
will
never enjoy salvation.
The single best way to show the error of Mormonism
is to
show the basic flaw in the Book of Mormon itself. If
the book is flawed, the religion drawn
from it cannot be true. It is never
necessary to read the book and then ask God to reveal to you directly
whether
it is true or not. The book cannot be
true. The following will prove that
beyond any reasonable doubt.
The Book of Mormon proposes to reveal God's
dealings with
the
The Book of Mormon starts by telling of one of the
principal
families in the story, the family of Lehi.
He was allegedly a prophet. While
still in the wilderness of
Still near
Family disputes and differences caused a split
between Nephi
and his brother Laman. Nehpi and his
tribe kept the Law of Moses with them and built a temple of worship. They also kept certain other records. Nephi seems to have spent considerable time
recording various conversations and events.
His collection of metal plates was probably quite sizable at the
time of
the family split. He claims that he and
his
family "did observe to keep the judgments, and the statutes, and the
commandments
of the Lord in all things, according to the Law of Moses" (II Nephi
The most egregious and obvious blunder in the
entire Mormon
plot is displayed in the next item.
After making grandiose claims to keeping the law of Moses in all
things,
Nephi reports that "I, Nephi, did consecrate Jacob and Joseph, that
they
should be priests and teachers over the land of my people" (II Nephi
5:26). Now, to those things we have
clearly in mind -- Lehi was a descendant of Joseph, not Levi. All of his sons, including Joseph and Jacob,
were also not descendants of Levi. They
had a good copy of the Law of Moses with them.
That law specifically stated, "And thou shalt appoint Aaron and
his
sons, and they shall wait on their priest's office: and the stranger
that
cometh nigh shall be put to death" (Numbers
Nephi broke the commandments at least three ways. First he installed men into the priesthood who were not sons of Aaron. Second he did not slay them after they came nigh to do the priest's work. Third, he lied about his careful observation of the Law of Moses.
Hebrews 7:13-14 affirms that Jesus could not have
been what
Nephi made Joseph and Jacob do. Jesus
could not have been a priest under the Law because he came from
Other doctrinal errors of Mormonism include their concept of God. They do not believe in just one God -- they have a multiplicity of gods. And, they believe their gods are all in a state of eternal progression. The doctrine of genealogies, temple marriages, and a host of other views can all be answered. There are not only contradictions between the Bible and the Book of Mormon, there are many contradictions between the Book of Mormon, and another book they called inspired, Doctrine and Covenants with Pearl of Great Price. But for the purpose of this lesson, the above refutation of their position is sufficient.