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Cults & Religions. Mormonism. Founder Joseph Smith Born in 1805 in Vermont Parents were very superstitious, treasure hunters On September 21 st , 1823, when he was 17 yrs old, the angel Moroni appeared to him in the woods. Moroni was the son of Mormon.
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Mormonism • Founder • Joseph Smith • Born in 1805 in Vermont • Parents were very superstitious, treasure hunters • On September 21st, 1823, when he was 17 yrs old, the angel Moroni appeared to him in the woods. • Moroni was the son of Mormon. • Mormon was the leader the Nephites (who lived in America) • Moroni told Joseph Smith that he was chosen to translate the book of Mormon that was written in the 4th century.
The book was written on golden plates hidden near where Joseph was then living in Palmyra, New York. • Joseph Smith said that on Sept. 22, 1827 he received the plates and the angel Moroni instructed him to begin the translation process. • He found these gold tablets hidden in a mountain, but only he could see them. • He had special glassed that enabled him to read the tablets. • The Book of Mormon was published in1830 • Joseph claimed that during this translation process, John the Baptist appeared to him and ordained him to accomplish the divine work of restoring the true church by preaching the true gospel which, allegedly, had been lost from the earth.
The Book of Mormon • The Book of Mormon is supposed to be the account of people who came from the Middle-East to the Americas. It covers the period of about 600 B.C. to 400 A.D. • It tells of the Jaredites, people from the Tower of Babel who came to central America but perished because of their own immorality. • It also describes some Jews who fled persecution in Jerusalem and came to America led by a man called Nephi. • The Jews divided into two groups known as the Nephites and Lamanites who fought each other.
The Nephites were defeated in 428 A.D. The Lamanites continued and are known as the American Indians. • The Book of Mormon is the account of the Nephite leader, Mormon, concerning their culture, civilization, and appearance of Jesus to the Americas.
The Split • Mormonism began to grow after the publication of the Book of Mormon. • Because their religion was so deviant from Christianity, i.e., plurality of gods, polygamy (Joseph is said to have had 27 wives), etc., persecution soon forced them to move from New York to Ohio, then to Missouri, and finally to Nauvoo, Illinois. • After being accused of breaking some laws in Nauvoo (for destroying a printing press that was publishing harmful information on Mormonism), Joseph and his brother Hyrum ended up in jail. A mob later broke into the jail and killed Joseph and his brother.
After the shooting, the church divided into two groups: • One led by his widow which went back to Independence Missouri. They are known as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. • They claim to be the true Church and lay claim to the legal succession of the church presidency which was bestowed upon Joseph's son by Joseph Smith himself. • The other group was led by Brigham Young and they went to Utah where, in 1847, they ended up in Salt Lake and founded Salt Lake City. • Brigham had 25 wives and accumulated much wealth.
Their Beliefs • About God: Elohim • He used to be a man on another world and that he became a god by following the laws and ordinances of his god on his home world. • He brought his wife to this world, a woman he had married on the other world. She is, essentially a goddess. • In his present god-state, he rules our world. • He has a body of flesh and bones. • In their exalted states as deities, they produce spirit children that grow and mature in the spiritual realm. • Elohim now resides near a star called Kolob.
About Jesus: • Jesus was the first “spirit baby” of Elohim and his wife. • Lucifer was the 2nd. • Elohim was concerned for the future salvation of his people on earth. • Jesus came up with a plan that Elohim accepted. He rejected Lucifer’s plan. • Lucifer led a rebellion with a large number of the spirits, and Elohim cursed these spirits to become demons, and they can never be born into human bodies. • Jesus agreed to the plan of redemption, but He was a spirit and needed a body.
So Elohim came to earth and had sex with Mary to produce a body for Jesus. • Remember, Elohim has a physical body, and Mary would be his spirit daughter. • Jesus grew up, got married (with multiple wives) and had children. • Jesus then died on the cross to pay for our sins. • Jesus’ death cannot cleanse us from all sins. Murder and repeated adultery are some of the exceptions. • Jesus then became a god because of his obedience and sacrifice.
About Salvation: • Not by grace alone. • "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,“ • Jesus’ death was the enabling power to begin the salvation process. • Must obey the laws and ordinances of the B.o.M. • There is no salvation without recognizing Joseph Smith as Prophet. • You MUST be baptized by someone in the LDS church to be saved.
We have the potential to become gods. • "As god once was, man is. As God is, man may become.“ • In order to reach this exalted state of godhood, a person must first become a good Mormon, pay a full ten percent tithe to the Mormon church, follow various laws and ordinances of the church, and be found worthy. • At this point, they receive a temple recommend, whereupon the Mormon is allowed to enter their sacred temples in order to go through a set of secret rituals: baptism for the dead, celestial marriage, and various oaths of secrecy and commitment.
Additionally, four secret handshakes are taught so the believing Mormon, upon entering the third level of Mormon heaven, can shake hands with god in a certain pattern. • This celestial ritual is for the purpose of permitting entrance into the highest level of heaven. • For those who achieve this highest of heavens, exaltation to godhood awaits them. Then he or she will be permitted to have his or her own planet and be the god of his own world and the Mormon system will be expanded to other planets.
About Heaven: • There are 3 levels of heaven. The Celestial, The Terrestrial, and Telestial. • The Celestial is the highest, for the good Mormon. • The Terrestrial is the middle, for the “good, decent people: people who are half-hearted, or complacent in their testimony”. • The Telestial is the lowest, for the “bad people that do not accept Christ as Savior at all. The liars, sorcerers, and adulterers.”
About Hell: • There are 2 hells: • “One is a state of pain, guilt, and anguish where the spirits of the wicked will be after they die but before the final judgment (we often call this state spirit prison).” • “The other is an everlasting state of hell reserved for a few truly wicked (we commonly refer to this one as outer darkness).” • “Because the second state only applies to few, for the majority of people hell will not last forever: after the final judgment most people will receive some degree of glory.”
Bloody Oaths: • For almost 150 years the Temple Endowment ceremony included 3 specific oaths which Mormons believed couldn’t be tampered with or altered regardless of the criticism they had received. • “First Token of the Aaronic Priesthood” • “We, and each of us, covenant and promise that we will not reveal any of the secrets of this, the first token of the Aaronic priesthood, with its accompanying name, sign or penalty. Should we do so; WE AGREE THAT OUR THROATS BE CUT FROM EAR TO EAR AND OUR TONGUES TORN OUT BY THEIR ROOTS.” • Changed to: “I, _______, covenant that I will never reveal the First Token of the Aaronic Priesthood, with its accompanying name, sign, and penalty. RATHER THAN DO SO, I WOULD SUFFER MY LIFE TO BE TAKEN.”
“Second Token of the Aaronic Priesthood” • “We and each of us do covenant and promise that we will not reveal the secrets of this, the Second Token of the Aaronic Priesthood, with its accompanying name, sign, grip or penalty. Should we do so, WE AGREE TO HAVE OUR BREASTS CUT OPEN AND OUR HEARTS AND VITALS TORN FROM OUR BODIES AND GIVEN TO THE BIRDS OF THE AIR AND THE BEASTS OF THE FIELD.” • Changed to: “I, __________, covenant that I will never reveal the Second Token of the Aaronic Priesthood, with its accompanying name, sign, and penalty. RATHER THAN DO SO, I WOULD SUFFER (all patrons pause and bring right hand to left breast) MY LIFE (patrons draw hand across chest to right breast) TO BE TAKEN” (patrons drop hands to side).
“First Token of the Melchizedek Priesthood” • “We and each of us do covenant and promise that we will not reveal any of the secrets of this, the First Token of the Melchizedek Priesthood, with its accompanying name, sign or penalty. SHOULD WE DO SO, WE AGREE THAT OUR BODIES BE CUT ASUNDER IN THE MIDST AND ALL OUR BOWELS GUSH OUT.” • Changed to: “I covenant in the name of the Son that I will never reveal the First Token of the Melchizedek Priesthood or Sign of the Nail, with its accompanying name, sign, and penalty, RATHER THAN DO SO, I WOULD SUFFER MY LIFE (patrons all draw their right thumb quickly across their body) TO BE TAKEN” (patrons all drop both hands to their sides).”
Baptism for the dead: • “The greatest commandment given us, and made obligatory, is the temple work in our own behalf and in behalf of our dead.” • This is a practice of baptizing each other in place of non-Mormons who are now dead. Their belief is that in the afterlife, the "newly baptized" person will be able to enter into a higher level of Mormon heaven.
Holy Underwear: • A secret temple garment with mystical markings. • This garment is to be worn next to the skin for life and is only to be removed for changing or bathing, and for certain “public appearance” exceptions. • This underwear is placed upon the temple patron by a temple worker after he or she has gone through a ceremonial washing of various parts of the body. • He is told that this garment will be a “shield and a protection” against the power of the destroyer.
Witnessing tools • www.carm.org • www.challengemin.org/WITNESS.PDF • www.whatdomormonsbelieve.com • Use the KJV Bible • Not by works • Ephesians 2:8,9 • Titus 3:5 • Jesus is God • John 1:1-3,14; 10:30; 20:28 • Colossians 1:16,17 • Hebrews 1:8 • Psalm 90:2
Jehovah’s Witnesses • History • Founded in 1872 by Charles Taze Russell • He did not like some of the major doctrines of the mainline denominations. • When he was 18 he started a Bible study in Pittsburg, PA. • In 1884, he started publishing The Watchtower Announcing Jehovah’s Kingdom and founded the Zion’s Watchtower Society. • Russell claimed that the Bible could only be understood according to his interpretations.
He died in October of 1916. • Joseph Franklin Rutherford took over the society and in 1931 renamed it The Jehovah’s Witnesses • Each president rules with absolute authority and complete infallibility. (although these presidents often contradict each other).
Their Beliefs • About the Bible • They have their own translation of the Bible called the New World Translation. • About God – Jehovah • There is one God in one person. • There is no Trinity. • Jehovah’s first creation was Michael the Archangel. • Jehovah created the whole universe. • It took him 42,000 years to create the world. • At one point, The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society taught that God ruled the universe from somewhere in the Pleiades star system.
They have since modified this to say that the "Pleiades can no longer be considered the center of the universe and it would be unwise for us to try to fix God's throne as being at a particular spot in the universe.“ • About Jesus • Jesus is not God, only a perfect man. • Michael the Archangel became a man so he could die for the people. His human name was Jesus. • Jesus did not die on a cross, but on a torture stake. • He did not physical resurrect from the dead, only spiritually. “The man Jesus is dead, forever dead.” Charles Taze Russell • Jesus’ ransom sacrifice did not pay for Adam and Eve’s sin, because they willingly sinned.
Jesus began His invisible reign over the earth in 1914. • He will begin His physical reign over His kingdom here on earth after the battle of Armageddon. • About the Holy Spirit • The Holy Spirit is a force, not a person. It is the force of Jehovah working. • About Salvation • Only their church members will be saved. • Good works are necessary for salvation. • Only 144,000 are born again, and get to go to heaven. • The rest of the good Jehovah’s Witnesses will live here on earth in the renewed paradise.
Those that get to go to heaven have “immortal life” and those that get to live in Paradise have “eternal life”. • Those with “immortal life” will not have resurrected bodies, but have spirit bodies. Those with “eternal life” will have resurrected bodies that must be maintained through eating, sleeping, etc. • There is no hell. • During the 1,000 yr Kingdom of Jesus, everyone will be resurrected and given another chance to become good JW’s. Those who still do not get annihilated. • The time between a person’s death and this resurrection is called soul-sleep. The soul ceases to exist and is not conscience of what is going on.
The JW church is the self proclaimed prophet of God • They are the only channel of God’s truth. • Blood transfusions are a sin because the Bible says not to ingest blood. • The cross is a pagan symbol • They refuse to vote, salute the flag, sing the national anthem, or serve in the military because Jesus said we are not of this world and should have no part of it. • They do not celebrate Christmas because of it’s pagan origins and they believe the Bible tells them not to. • 1 Corinthians 6:14-18 and Matthew 15:8,9
They do not celebrate birthdays because we do not see anyone birthday celebrations in the Bible and “the idea of elevating an individual just because he was born is contrary to Christian principles. Birthdays are rooted in selfish pride. Jesus gave us a guiding principle of humility not self-exaltation.”
