Mormonism

  Mormonism is a cult as it meets all the criteria
      1) Doesn't believe Jesus is God (He is a god brother of lucifer. There is no trinity)
      2) Believes salvation is by faith plus works
      3) Has extra writing(s) on par with the scriptures
     
It's beginnings are very suspect and I feel the major way to refute/discuss the validity of this religion with a mormon. These beginnings are dealt with in a humorous but factual way by - believe it or not - South Park. There is one brief episode of cussing in the last segment (just to warn you - I tried to cut it all out) but watch these in order. The story line is - Stan is told by his friends to go beat up this new kid in town, a Mormon, because he is weird. Stanley goes over to do it but instead ends up going to his house. He comes home, tells his dad what he learned and his dad goes over to their house to beat him up and ends up becoming a Mormon.

Here are a few bullet points on Mormonism

• The Mormons believe in many gods - these gods procreate spirit children
• Latter day Saints believe that God the Father was and is a man of flesh and bone who once lived on another planet and who progressed to become the God of this world
• Mormons say Jesus was not begotten by the Holy Spirit, they say that Father God had physical sex with Mary to produce Jesus (early teaching)
• The Mormon god is eternally progressing and learning new things
• The Mormon Jesus is progressing and may become god of another planet
• Brigham Young (who cannot error according to their doctrine) said that, "Adam is our father and God. Adam is the Ancient of Days and also Michael the Archangel" (Later other prophets of the Mormon Church claimed that this inerrant doctrine of Brigham Young is false)
• The Latter Day Saints doctrine of the trinity is perverted and is nothing like the trinity of orthodox Christianity. They teach that there are three Gods (or four - some say the Holy Ghost is different from the Holy Spirit)
• Mormons believe that we were preexistent souls before we were born in the flesh
• The Latter Day Saints have corrected obvious errors in books that they say are inspired inerrant holy books. There have been 4000 documented word changes in the book of Mormon alone since 1830.
• The Latter Day Saints rewrote their history to be more credible
• Mormons believe that Jesus and Lucifer are spirit brothers
• The Latter Day Saints teach the doctrine of universal salvation and that there is no eternal hell except for those who will not progress. Hell only applies to those who leave Mormonism or will not become Mormon in the next life
• Mormons have conflicting theology about the Holy Spirit in their own writings and some refer to the Holy Spirit as an "It"
• Much of the original book of Mormon that they say was given to their founder by an angel - letter by letter - was plagiarized from the King James Bible errors and all. Since much of the book of Mormon is quoted from the King James Bible, the book of Mormon itself can be used to refute most of the practices and beliefs of Mormonism today
• The Latter Day Saints say that their church prophets are on the same level as the old testament prophets and that their doctrine cannot be in error
• The Latter Day Saints believe that each head of the Mormon Church wears the mantle of a prophet and that their church doctrine cannot be in error
• The Latter Day Saints doctrine of salvation is not by faith in Jesus alone. To be saved one must have faith, be baptized by immersion, keep the teachings of the Mormon Church, do good works and keep the commandments.
• The Latter Day Saints have said that God was predestined to sin which they equate with the fall into mortality. The fall happened so that more potential gods could come into being and reach god hood
• Mormons have said that Jesus married both Mary and Martha and had children
• LDS teaches a limited atonement; Brigham Young said "the blood of Jesus was ineffective for the cleansing of some sins. Those that believe it will lose their salvation"
• The Latter Day Saints idea of needing God's grace is that grace is needed so we may have power to progress and become like God. All Mormons must strive for perfection, sanctification and god hood
• Mormons believe that the family unit will endure unto eternity and some go through baptism rituals in the temple to save unbaptised dead.
• They say when Jesus returns that the Mormons will be gathered together in new Jerusalem in Missouri before the judgment
• The Latter Day Saints have three heavens - one for the heathen, one for the Christians and one for good Mormons. When Mormons progress enough to be gods they will get a planet of their own to rule
• The Mormons have added to the word of God by adding to the canon their Doctrine and Covenants, the Pearl of Great Price and the Book of Mormon. The books have contradictions with each other and with the Bible
• There is no archeological evidence to support the claims of the book of Mormon and there is much to refute it
• The book of Mormon shows lack of knowledge about world history
• The book of Mormon contains words that were not in existence at the time it was said to have been written (500 - 600 BC) - words such as Church, Christ, BIBLE etc.
• Some of the book of Mormon may have come from a work of fiction on the American Indians by Solomon Spaulding but the theology seems to be that of Sidney Rigdon
• The book of Mormon contains a quote from Shakespeare - 1 Nephi 1:14b
• The Latter Day Saints teach as man is, God once was; as God is, man may become
• The prophet Joseph Smith of Mormonism has documented false prophecies
• The Latter Day Saints say that all Christian sects are wrong and that all their creeds are an abomination
• LDS claims to be the priesthood of Aaron and Melchizedek
• The Latter Day Saints have had a history of white supremacy and until recently did not let blacks into the priesthood
• The Mormons teach that the American Indian is a decedent of Israel and Semitic, yet scientific genetics teaches that the American Indian is of the Mongoloid race and from Asia
• Mormons are told to wear holy underwear with mystical Masonic markings to protect them from harm

   Summarizing the bullet points, besides the intellectually dumbfounding origins of Mormonism, here are some other problems.

   1. Archaeology - there have been no archaeological findings to coroborate the book of Mormon

   2. New revelations - When society and culture progresses, the book of Mormon or other writings change along with it. For example, Blacks were deemed inferior as the spirit that inhabited their bodies were inferior spirits. Polygamy was approved and encouraged. New Revelation - Blacks are equal and can not only become Mormons but may become priests. Polygamy is now wrong also. The Bible never changes. Truth never changes. Culture must come to grips with God's word, not the other way around.

   3. Although the tablets were supposedly buried B.C., there are quotes from the King James Bible, Shakespeare  and the Indian lore and theology sound eerily similar to  Solomon Spaulding  and Sidney Rigdon. Also there are terms such as Church, Christ, Bible, etc. that wouldn't have been around B.C. Also, if he is translating a book in the 1900's written in 500BC, why would it be in King James english?

  Mormonism is attractive because it produces good people and good families. It should - it is based on Biblical ethics. The Bible produces good people if you do everything it says to do. However, good people trusting a different gospel are lost just like the people that said Lord, Lord didn't we do this and that for you and He said depart from me I never knew you. Or the prodigal sons brother who worked his whole life but didn't go to the feast with his father.

    Be very careful of this not so clever lie!!