THE CULTS 2

THE CULTS 2 The Mormons Clogher Valley Bible Class

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints The Deception of Mormonism Clogher Valley Bible Class

Study Outline • Mormon History • Mormonism and the Word of God • Mormonism and the Being of God • Mormonism and the Works of God • Mormonism and Man • Mormonism and the Person of Christ • Mormonism and Salvation • Mormonism and the Church • Mormonism and the Sacraments • Mormonism and the Eternal State

Mormon History The Life of Joseph Smith Clogher Valley Bible Class

In the Woods – Spring of 1820 • Born in 1805 and raised in New York State • In the woods praying he encountered 2 “personages”. • One was the “Beloved Son”. • He was told that the creeds of all denominations were abominable”

In Bed – September 1823 • A “personage” appeared beside his bed. • His name was “Moroni”. • He was told of a Book written on Golden Plates and of 2 stones fastened to a Breastplate to help with the translation. • This Book told the history of the North American Continent and contained “the fullness of the everlasting gospel.”

Smith’s Marriage – January 18th 1827 • Emma Hale’s father refused to allow his daughter to marry Smith. • The Mormons claim this was persecution against his new religious awakenings. • There is evidence that the real reason was Smith’s preoccupation with digging for money with the help of a “peepstone”. • Therefore the couple eloped in order to wed. • This detail gives us an insight into an unstable and rather disturbed young man.

Receiving the Plates – September 1827 • Although in 1823 he was guided to the location of the plates on the hill Cumorah he was prevented from removing them. • Finally the “heavenly messenger” granted him the plates with instructions to keep them safe until he was called.

Translating The Plates • Smith teamed up with a farmer called Martin Harris who agreed to finance the publication of the translation. • Smith’s autobiography claims that a Professor Anthon confirmed that the writing was “Reformed Egyptian” and that the translation was accurate.

Priests and Witnesses • In 1829 Smith and Oliver Cowdery were given the priesthood of Aaron and then that of Melchizedek by “John the Baptist” • Smith was only to show the plates to 3 witnesses appointed by God – Oliver Cowdrey, David Whitmer and Martin Harris were chosen.

The Book of Mormon • In March 1830 the Book of Mormon went on sale. • On April 6th 1830 the “Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints” was formed in New York with 6 members. • Smith and Cowdery ordained each other as elders. • Within a month the number has risen to 40.

What’s the Book About? • 2 waves of immigrations to the Americas. • The first took place in 2,250 BC from the region around the Tower of Babel. The people known as Jaredites eventually were wiped out by civil war. • In 600 BC Lehi a Jewish prophet of Manasseh allegedly left Israel and obeyed God in sailing to South America. • The records were written by Moroni whose Father was Mormon.

Is It Genuine? • There is no other history or archaeology to verify the accuracy of the record. • Reformed Egyptian is unknown unlike other ancient languages. • There are no manuscripts available to examine, unlike the Bible. • The Golden Plates were given back to Moroni. • What says the evidence, the confused babblings of a madman or the Word of God?

Smith’s Sudden Death • As the result of persecution the Mormons travelled west in search of a place to establish a community. • On the Mississippi he established a community called Nauvoo. • When he came under fire from a critical paper he ordered the destruction of the printing press. • He was imprisoned only to be killed by a mob who attacked the prison.

The Move Westward • Brigham Young succeeded Smith a President. • In February 1846 they took their wagon train on journey which took them to Salt Lake, Utah in July 1847. • He established Salt Lake City. • The nearest railroad was Iowa City , 1300 miles away. • By 1877, the year of Young’s death there were 140,000 Mormons.

Dramatic Growth 1962 • World Membership – 1,965,786. • American Membership – 1,713,322 1990 • Membership in top 10 countries – 8,218,000 • American Membership – 4,900,000 At What rate has the true Church grown? What a challenge to seek Holy Ghost power? May we have a vision of these lost and deceived souls?

They Consider the Bible to be a Flawed Book • The Mormon sacred writings are more trustworthy than the Bible. • Joseph Smith worked on a revision of the AV which was never completed. • Interestingly the Mormons will not publish this work. • Is it not reliable or would it be unfamiliar to potential converts?

The Bible Says Rev 22:18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: Rev 22:19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

One God Among Many • Only matter is eternal. • God has a physical body as we do. • Human beings may eventually become gods. • God too was a man at one time. • Therefore there are many gods.

The Bible Says Isa 42:8 I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.

An Organiser Not A Creator As matter existed before God all he did was reorganise that matter into the universe.

The Bible Says Joh 1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

Spirit Children • All men existed as Spirits before they were born. • The birth of children allows the Spirits to become embodied. • The fall was good in that it enabled man to reproduce and embody spirits. • Children are born sinless; there is no Original Sin.

The Bible Says Psa 51:5 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. Rom 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

Horrible Blasphemy • Christ was the First spirit child born of God. • He was conceived as the result of union between God and Mary. • Christ was married to Mary, Martha and the other Mary.

The Bible Says Luk 1:35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

The Extent of the Atonement 1: General Salvation Christ died to raise all people from the dead but that does not mean everyone will be saved beyond the resurrection. 2: Individual Salvation Given to those who know and obey

Deceiving Words • They say the atonement was necessary because of Adam’s Fall. Yet they also believe that the Fall was a good thing. CONFUSED!!! • They will say that Christ died for everyone yet the General Salvation is meaningless. • The Individual Salvation is dependent upon works, not grace.

The Bible Says Rom 3:24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Rom 3:25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; Rom 3:26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. Rom 3:27 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.

Gaining Eternal Life • Salvation has degrees, the highest being eternal life or exaltation where the person becomes a god. • The ordinances one must partake of are Faith in Christ, Repentance, Baptism by immersion and laying on of hands for the gift of the Spirit.

The Bible Says Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Eph 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Celestial Marriage • To receive the highest form of exaltation one must be married. • Marriage for time is conducted outside a Mormon Temple and is dissolved in death. • Celestial Marriage is performed inside a Mormon Temple and is eternal. • Those who enjoy Celestial Marriage will go through eternity producing spirit children which will in time become human. • Those who are married for time or who are single will be single in the afterlife.

The Bible Says Luk 20:34 And Jesus answering said unto them, The children of this world marry, and are given in marriage: Luk 20:35 But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage: Luk 20:36 Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.

The Mormons – The Only True Church “Every spirit that does not confess that God has sent Joseph Smith, and revealed the everlasting gospel through and to him, is of Antichrist”. Brigham Young

The Bible Says Mat 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. • Christ not Joseph Smith is the Church Builder • The Church was always in existence and God did not have to wait for Joseph Smith to do the building

Baptism • They believe in baptismal regeneration. • They define the mode as immersion. • Joseph Smith in his revision of the AV even inserted a passage about the baptism of Adam!!!

The Bible Says Mar 16:16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

Baptism For The Dead • Between 1841 and 1842 Smith received “revelations” concerning this practice from Malachi 4:5-6. • He insisted there had to be a welding link between the father’s and the children for the curse to be removed. • Rather imaginatively and without scriptural basis he introduced Baptism for the Dead.

How Are The Dead Baptised? • Mormons are expected to work for the Baptism of their dead relatives going back as far as records will allow. • It is carried out in a tank built below the ground in a temple, the place simulates the graves of the deceased. • The names of the dead baptised are recorded and there must be at least 3 witnesses. • The Spirits of the dead must accept this baptism by proxy for it to be valid.

The Bible Says Heb 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

The Lord’s Supper • It is performed weekly and all can partake who are 8 years old and upward. • Water, not wine, is taken because the angel apparently told Joseph Smith not to touch strong drink. • It is not a way of salvation but a means whereby the gift of the Holy Ghost is maintained.

THE CULTS 2

THE CULTS 2

Presentation Transcript

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