Did They Really Say That?!?

"The inhabitants of the moon are more of a uniform size than the inhabitants of the earth, being about 6 feet in height. They dress very much like the Quaker style and are quite general in style or the one fashion of dress. They live to be very old; coming generally, near a thousand years. This is the description of them as given by Joseph the Seer, and he could 'See' whatever he asked the Father in the name of Jesus to see."

The History of Oliver B. Huntington, p. 10

"Who can tell us of the inhabitants of this little planet that shines of an evening, called the moon?... when you inquire about the inhabitants of that sphere you find that the most learned are as ignorant in regard to them as the most ignorant of their fathers. So it is in regard to the inhabitants of the sun. Do you think it is inhabited? I rather think it is. Do you think there is any life there? No question of it; it was not made in vain. It was made to give light to those who dwell upon it, and to other planets; and so will this earth when it is celestialized."

Brigham Young, July 24, 1870, Journal of Discourses 13:271

So, according to Joseph Smith, as cited by Oliver Huntington (a Mormon), people live on the moon and dress like Quakers.  And this he saw because he asked the “Father”?

And, not only did Joseph Smith say the moon was inhabited, he was supported by Brigham Young!  Of course Brigham Young went one better and claimed the sun was also inhabited.  

Since it has long been proven that no one lives on the moon (or the sun) this is just another example to demonstrate that neither Joseph Smith nor Brigham Young were prophets of God!

Did They Really Say That?!?

"Does the earth conceive? It does, and it brings forth. If it did not, why do you go and put your wheat into the ground? Does it not conceive it? But it does not conceive except you put it there. It conceives and brings forth, and you and I live, both for food and for clothing, silks and satins. What! Satin grow? Yes. What produces it? The silkworm produces it. Does the silkworm produce except it conceives? No, it eats of the mulberry tree. Where does the mulberry tree come from? It comes from the earth. Where did the earth come from? From its parent earths."

-Heber C. Kimball (Journal of Discourses V.6 Pg 36)

Heber Kimball was one of the original twelve LDS apostles, and was first counselor to Brigham Young in the First Presidency from 1847 until he died in 1868.  So he was a well-recognized leader in the LDS church.

I shouldn’t have to comment on his teaching other that to say it is obviously false.

Did They Really Say That?!?

One cannot get into the kingdom of God upon the principle of faith alone, or repentance alone, or receiving the Holy Ghost alone.  He will have to be baptized, go down in the water, and come up out of the water, and have hands laid upon him for the gift of the Holy Ghost.  That is the procedure that was followed by the apostles of Christ.  That is the procedure of the Church today.  It is the only way.

Rudger Clawson, Conference Reports, October 1932, p.9.

Well, I’d say there is nothing in the Bible to back up this statement.  What about the thief on the cross - was he baptized or did he have hands laid on him?  No.  So what did Jesus say?  “Sorry pal, you are hell-bound because you didn’t get baptized.”   Um, no.   Jesus said, “Today you will be with me in paradise.”  (Luke 23:43)

What did Paul say was the requirement for salvation?  According to Clawson, as an apostle he would have to follow the procedure Clawson spelled out.  However, Paul said that, “If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”  (Rom. 10:9)  Where is the mention of baptism or laying on of hands?

There are multitudes of passages in the Bible which say that the only requirement for salvation is faith in Christ and His atonement.  Even the fact that Jesus said that his followers will “inherit” eternal life demonstrates that there is nothing we can do to qualify; an inheritance is always a gift, and no one works for a gift.

Mormons teach that there are works to be done in order to be saved.  This is in direct contradiction to the Bible.  This means that the LDS is a false belief system.

Another False Prophecy by Joseph Smith

From October 31 to November 3, I posted a series about the false prophecies of LDS founder Joseph Smith, conclusively demonstrating that he was not a prophet of God.  Well, I came across another one I want to share:

Sarah Scott, in a letter to her mother and father dated 22 July 1844, stated:

“Joseph also prophesied on the stand a year ago last conference that he could not be killed within five years from that time; that they could not kill him till the Temple would be completed, for that he had received an unconditional promise from the Almighty concerning his days, and he set Earth and Hell at defiance; and then said, putting his hand on his head, they never could kill his Child.  But now that he is killed some of the Church say that he said: unless he gave himself up.  My husband was there at the same time and says there was not conditions whatever, and my others testify to the same thing.”

Cited in “Cultures in Conflict: A Documentary History of the Mormon War in Illinois,” by John E. Hallwas and Roger D. Launius, p. 257

And yet Mormons still believe Smith was a prophet!

Random Things About Mormonism

The deception by Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is getting more and more crafty as they do their best to come across as a real Christian church.  Janis Hutchinson has an excellent article describing the LDS’ latest strategies.  See also her older article which includes demonstrating various advertising techniques such as the new way of printing the church name.

Mormonism Research Ministry has an excellent article I felt needed sharing with my readers, which is about the Mormon Jesus and his brother the devil.

One issue Mormons really don’t want to discuss is “Heavenly Mother” - just who is she?  If all humans were once spiritual children of “Heavenly Father,” then there must have been a “Heavenly Mother,” or even multitudes of “Heavenly Mothers” in order to procreate so many people.  It is a bizarre thing to think about - God having celestial sex with hordes of women goddesses.  I think Janis Hutchinson has some good ideas about just who “Heavenly Mother” is as she discusses the doctrine in her two part series, here and here.

One I always enjoy personally discussing with Mormons is Ezekiel 37:15-17, where two sticks are discussed.  Mormons believe these represent two books: the Bible and the Book of Mormon.  Making them actually read the context forces them to think about what it really says.  Apprising Ministries has a good article about this.

Mormon Coffee has an interesting article about Brigham Young’s claim that, “man is the king of kings and lord of lords in embryo.”

Although the fundamentalist LDS groups who practice polygamy are ostracized by the Utah church, in regards to polygamy the FLDS actually follows the teachings of Joseph Smith better than does the LDS.  Greg Kouki makes an excellent point comparing the Mormons’ desire for clear distinction between them and the FLDS, and Christians’ desire for clear distinction between us and the LDS.

Janis Hutchinson had an article about a claimed 1886 resurrection appearance of Joseph Smith, which was something I had never heard before.  Very detailed article which demonstrates the claims were fraudulent (like all other LDS claims, of course).  It’s a long article, but the last half has some really good information about Smith and the “translation” of the Book of Mormon, the witnesses, First Vision, etc.  Good primer for those who aren’t familiar with the LDS.

For those of us who keep up with the Mormons, an interesting development has taken place - the Mormons are adjusting their “scriptures” in an attempt to clean up some of the more embarrassing teachings in regards to blacks and polygamy.  If God really gave them these revelations, why are they so touchy about them?

Mormons have always made a big deal about their church leaders not being paid, while the rest of “Christendom” has paid pastors/minister.  It has at times been a point of bragging in many things I’ve read.  Well, it’s interesting that they make these claims when their leaders have lots of income, and it’s probably a lot more than most pastors receive when in their pay.  Take a look at this article and see just how much LDS leadership isn’t paid.

For those who have opportunities to witness to Mormons, you might find this article about the various versions of Joseph Smith’s First Vision story to be useful.  I have previously posted a similar, shorter article.  The site this article is on is one I’ve recently found, and highly recommend for those studying Mormonism.

The Mormons in Utah have done much to prevent anyone from doing Christian ministry near their temples or tabernacle; after all, they don’t want anyone exposing their false teachings.  I received a mailing from Mormonism Research Ministry describing another example of the fear Mormons have for the truth.  “After breaking ground for the temple, Brigham City had passed an ordinance...allowing the city to arbitrarily label as ‘protestors’ any individual or group that distributed literature in their city.”  The article went on to describe the rules required for permits to distribute material whether or not a protest was involved.  The whole point of the law, of course, was to prevent Christians from passing out literature exposing the fraud of Mormonism.  With all the restrictions placed on the MRM missionaries to the Mormons, they ended up getting the ACLU involved and a lawsuit was filed which allowed them to practice their Constitutional freedoms.  The good news about this is that the publicity enabled them to hand out about five times as much literature as normal!  Mormons have never, ever been in favor of free speech.

Are Non-Mormons Considered Christians by the LDS?

Mormons are always complaining about real Christians saying that Mormons are NOT Christians.  The charge is usually that we are attacking them and that they never attack us - that they don’t denounce us as non-Christian.  Of course, anyone who dares challenge the Mormon faith is immediately labeled an “anti-Mormon,” but if they challenge the Christian they certainly don’t want to be called “anti-Christian”!  It’s all part of their victimology; the claim that they have been persecuted.

Which brings us to an article by the LDS apologetic group, FAIR (Foundation for Apologetic Information & Research), which doesn’t hesitate to call “anti-Mormons” non-Christians.  Notice that they abuse the Scripture to support their position (which is normal for any position in the LDS).

But note what they claim in this article:  “Never mind that there is no book or pamphlet published by the Church that attacks, denigrates, undermines or belittles the beliefs of any other church....”

Well, what is the truth?  Ironically this very article states that “anti-Mormons” are not Christians.  The fact is, that from the very founding of the Mormon faith the true Christian church has been attacked by Mormon leaders.

Joseph Smith’s story of the “First Vision” is in every copy of the Mormon “scripture,” The Pearl of Great Price.  This book is usually found bound together with the Doctrine and Covenants, and every Mormon has a copy.  In fact, the “First Vision” is part of the primary beginning teaching of the LDS; it is foundational to all their other beliefs.  Here is what Smith claimed took place:

“My object in going to inquire of the Lord was to know which of all the sects was right, that I might know which to join.  No sooner, therefore, did I get possession of myself, so as to be able to speak, than I asked the Personages who stood above me in the light, which of all the sects was right (for at this time it had never entered into my heart that all were wrong) - and which I should join.”

Now, just prior to this passage Smith states that two personages stood before him and were identified as God the Father and Jesus Christ, with “God” telling Smith to listen to his son.  Smith wanted to know which sect of Christianity was correct, so as to be able to join them.  Now, the sects of Christianity at that time would have been every mainline denomination, as well as numerous break-off assemblies (albeit not as many as there are currently).  So Smith says he wants to know which one is correct.  Here is the response given by Smith’s “Christ”:

“I was answered that I must join none of them, for they were all wrong; and the Personage who addressed me said that all their creeds were an abomination in his sight; that those professors were all corrupt; that: ‘they draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me, they teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof.’”

Smith claims that he was told that God considered all the creeds of Christianity to be abominations, meaning the sects themselves would be abominations; all sects of Christianity were “wrong.”  Smith stated that he was told that all who were members of such sects (professors) where themselves corrupt.

This is the first thing Mormons teach - that according to God, all Christians who are not Mormons are corrupt and members of abominable sects; yet FAIR said nothing like this was in any LDS publication!

For over 100 years the LDS temple ceremony presented Christian pastors as agents of Satan, and yet FAIR has the audacity to make the statement cited above!  

Well, let’s look at some more teaching of the LDS, which are indeed in books published by the LDS:

“After the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was organized, there were only two churches upon the earth.  They were known respectively as the Church of the Lamb of God and Babylon.  The various organizations which are called churches throughout Christendom, though differing in their creeds and organization, have one common origin.  They all belong to Babylon.”  George Q. Cannon, Gospel Truth: Discourses and Writings of President George Q. Cannon, 2:56.

“The Roman Catholic, Greek, and Protestant church is the great corrupt ecclesiastic power, represented by great Babylon which has made all nations drunk with her wickedness... Great, and fearful, and most terrible judgments are decreed upon these corrupt powers, the nations of modern Christendom; for strong is the Lord God who shall execute His fierce wrath upon them, and He will not cease until He has made a full end, and until their names be blotted out from under heaven.”  Orson Pratt, Divine Authenticity of the Book of Mormon, No. 6, pp.84-85.

“The gates of hell have prevailed and will continue to prevail over the Catholic mother of harlots, and over all her Protestant daughters...”  Orson Pratt, Divine Authenticity of the Book of Mormon, No. 3, p.44

“The people called Christians are shrouded in ignorance, and read the Scriptures with darkened understandings.”  Brigham Young, October 8, 1859, Journal of Discourses, 7:333.

“Should you ask why we differ from other Christians, as they are called, it is simply because they are not Christians as the New Testament defines Christianity.”  Brigham Young, July 8, 1863, Journal of Discourses, 10:230

“What does the Christian world know about God?  Nothing; yet these very men assume the right and power to tell others what they shall not believe in.  Why so far as the things  of God are concerned, they are the veriest of fools; they know neither God nor the things of God.”  John Taylor, 3rd LDS President, The Gospel Kingdom, p.75.

“There are a good many people who profess to be Christians, but they are not founded on the foundations that Jesus Christ himself has laid.”  Joseph F. Smith, 6th LDS President, November 2, 1891 [Stake conference message], Collected Discourses, 2:305.

“That portion of the world in which so-called Christianity prevails - as distinguished from heathen or Mohammedan lands - is called Christendom.  The term applies to the whole body of supposed Christian believers; as now constituted this body is properly termed apostate Christianity.”  Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, 1966, p.131

“And virtually all the millions of apostate Christendom have abased themselves before the mythical throne of a mythical Christ whom they suppose to be a spirit essence who is incorporeal uncreated, immaterial and three-in-one with the Father and Holy Spirit.”
Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, 1966, p.269

“The whole Christian world, in the days of the Prophet, believed falsely that God was a mystical spirit essence that filled the immensity of space and was everywhere and nowhere in particular present - all of which proved only that they were all heretics, that the apostasy was universal.  Heresy is false doctrine... There is no salvation in a false doctrine.”  Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, 1966, p.352 (ellipses mine)

“False creeds make false churches.  There is no salvation in believing a lie.  Every informed, inspired, and discerning person is revolted by the absurdities and scripture-defying pronouncements in the creeds of Christendom, whose chief function is to define and set forth the nature and kind of being that God is.”  Bruce McConkie, The Mortal Messiah: From Bethlehem to Calvary, 1:30, footnote 2.

“Wherever creeds are found one can also expect to find a paid clergy, the simple truths of the gospel cloaked in the dark robes of mystery, religious intolerance, and a history of bloodshed.”  BYU Professor Joseph Fielding McConkie and Craig Ostler, Revelations of the Restoration, p. 964

Mormon Apostle/President/Prophet David O. McKay stated that, "the [LDS] Church is the greatest thing in the world, and the only authorized group to represent the Lord Jesus Christ in the salvation of mankind."  Teachings of Presidents of the Church: David O. McKay, p. 55.

I could fill a couple more pages of quotes from LDS leaders, all condescending to the true Christian faith, but I think this should suffice to demonstrate that the LDS has historically attacked the Christian faith.  And yet Mormons will continue to claim they never do so.

The bottom line is that it is not “anti-Mormon” to expose the LDS for the fraudulent belief system that it is.  It is not “un-Christian” to expose lies and falsehoods pretending to represent true Christianity.  Nor is it “hate” or “bigotry” to state that Mormons are not Christian. 

Believe In Jesus and . . .

The following is in the November -December issue of “Mormonism Researched,” the newsletter of Mormonism Research Ministry.  It should give you something to think about the next time you talk to a Mormon about what salvation requires.

===============================================

Joseph Young was born on April 7, 1797 and became a minister in the Methodist church.  His younger brother gave him a copy of the Book of Mormon and, in 1832, he left Methodism to follow Joseph Smith, joining what was then known as the Church of Christ.  That younger brother, Brigham Young, would follow his sibling and also become a member.  Joseph Young was eventually ordained a Seventy by Joseph Smith on February 28, 1835 at the age of 37.

In 1834 Young married Jane Adeline Bicknell.  Together they had 11 children.  Joseph later married five plural wives and, through them, fathered another 10 children.

On July 26, 1857, Joseph Young gave a message in the Bowery of Salt Lake City titled “Unpopularity of ‘Mormonism’ — Redemption of the dead, etc.”

In an obvious paraphrase of Romans 10:9, Joseph Young closed his message by saying,
“Now, brethren, this is a consolation to us all.  Believe in God, believe in Jesus, and believe in Joseph his prophet, and in Brigham his successor.  And I add, ‘If you will believe in your hearts and confess with your mouth that Jesus is the Christ, that Joseph was a Prophet, and that Brigham was his successor, you shall be saved in the kingdom of God,’ which I pray, in the name of Jesus, may be the case. Amen.”  (Journal of Discourses 6:229-30).

Did They Really Say That?!?

“Whosoever confesseth that Joseph Smith was sent of God to reveal the holy Gospel to the children of men, and lay the foundation for gathering Israel, and building up the Kingdom of God on the earth, that spirit is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that God has sent Joseph Smith, and revealed the everlasting Gospel to and through him, is of Antichrist, no matter whether it is found in a pulpit or on a throne.”  

Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 435.

So every Christian who says Joseph Smith was a false prophet is “antichrist”?!?  I thought Mormons never attacked real Christians!

Did They Really Say That ?!?

"I combat the errors of ages; I meet the violence of mobs; I cope with illegal proceedings from executive authority; I cut the guardian knot of powers and I solve mathematical problems of universities, with truth--diamond truth; and God is my 'right hand man.'" 

Joseph Smith, Jr.  History of the Church, Vol.6, p.78.

I'll bet God was so honored to be Joe's "right hand man."

Mormonism’s God

Mormonism’s god has been described by various Mormon officials, and yet the LDS church today wants to act as if some of the ideas presented were just opinions.  Let’s look at some of what Mormons have been taught over the years, none of which is compatible with the God of the Jews and Christians.

The first concept to review can be found at:

http://www.utlm.org/onlineresources/sermons_talks_interviews/smithpluralityofgodssermon.htm

It is a sermon by Joseph Smith on June 16, 1844, just eleven days before he was killed in a shoot-out (no, he was not martyred - he fought back).  I will just post excerpts.

It has been my intention for a long time to take up this subject and lay it clearly before the people, and show what my faith is in relation to this interesting matter. I have contemplated the saying of Jesus (Luke 17th chapter, 26th verse)—"And as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of Man." And if it does rain, I'll preach this doctrine, for the truth shall be preached.

I will preach on the plurality of Gods. I have selected this text for that express purpose. I wish to declare I have always and in all congregations when I have preached on the subject of the Deity, it has been the plurality of Gods. It has been preached by the Elders for fifteen years.

I have always declared God to be a distinct personage, Jesus Christ a separate and distinct personage from God the Father, and that the Holy Ghost was a distinct personage and a Spirit: and these three constitute three distinct personages and three Gods. If this is in accordance with the New Testament, lo and behold! we have three Gods anyhow, and they are plural: and who can contradict it!

We can immediately see that Smith believed in and taught multiple gods versus the Bible’s one, and only one, GOD.  And if you take the time to read the entire text, you will see how much he had to mangle Scripture to “prove” his case.

I have it from God, and get over it if you can. I have a witness of the Holy Ghost, and a testimony that Paul had no allusion to the heathen gods in the text. I will show from the Hebrew Bible that I am correct, and the first word shows a plurality of Gods; and I want the apostates and learned men to come here and prove to the contrary, if they can.  (my emphasis)

Notice that Smith said he received this information directly from God - a direct revelation.

The head God organized the heavens and the earth. I defy all the world to refute me. In the beginning the heads of the Gods organized the heavens and the earth.

Notice Smith has a “head” god and all he did was “organize the heavens and the earth” - he did not create them!  This is contrary to the Bible, which has ONE God who created everything.

The heads of the Gods appointed one God for us; and when you take [that] view of the subject, it sets one free to see all the beauty, holiness and perfection of the Gods.

Notice now that the god of the earth has been appointed by numerous “heads of the Gods.”

Many men say there is one God; the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost are only one God! I say that is a strange God anyhow—three in one, and one in three! It is a curious organization. ... All are to be crammed into one God, according to sectarianism. It would make the biggest God in all the world. He would be a wonderfully big God—he would be a giant or a monster.

Rather than try to understand the doctrine of the Trinity, Smith mocked it and made a polytheistic universe.

I learned it by translating the papyrus which is now in my house. I learned a testimony concerning Abraham, and he reasoned concerning the God of heaven.

This is an interesting claim about the Book of Abraham, which has been proven beyond a doubt to be a fraud.  Smith did not translate the Egyptian funeral document, no did he get ANY information from it, and yet he makes a claim for his polytheism based on the BoA as well as direct revelation.

If Abraham reasoned thus—If Jesus Christ was the Son of God, and John discovered that God the Father of Jesus Christ had a Father, you may suppose that He had a Father also. Where was there ever a son without a father? And where was there ever a father without first being a son? Whenever did a tree or anything spring into existence without a progenitor? And everything comes in this way. Paul says that which is earthly is in the likeness of that which is heavenly, Hence if Jesus had a Father, can we not believe that He had a Father also? I despise the idea of being scared to death at such a doctrine, for the Bible is full of it.  I want you to pay particular attention to what I am saying. Jesus said that the Father wrought precisely in the same way as His Father had done before Him. As the Father had done before. He laid down His life, and took it up the same as His Father had done before. He did as He was sent, to lay down His life and take it up again; and then was committed unto Him the keys, &c. I know it is good reasoning.

Without biblical support, Smith claimed that the Apostle John discovered that God the Father had a father; where in scripture did he find this?  Then he also made a claim about Jesus speaking of God’s father - where is this in the Bible?

“Go and read the vision in the Book of Covenants.”

Smith appeals to a vision he claimed he had, a vision which defies Scripture.  Since he has been proven a false prophet, that his visions never happened, why should anyone refer to a false vision for verification?

The scriptures are a mixture of very strange doctrines to the Christian world, who are blindly led by the blind.

A very ironic statement from the man who had truly strange doctrines, who was spiritually blind and has been leading the spiritually blind for over 180 years.

Another piece of “Smithism” is Doctrine & Covenants 130:22 wherein Smith says, “The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s.”

What about the 2nd Prophet/President of Mormons, Brigham Young? On April 9, 1852 Brigham taught that Adam was God!  Exactly how this works out with Joseph’s teachings is unclear.  But let’s look at some of this sermon:

Our God and Father in heaven, is a being of tabernacle, or, in other words, He has a body, with parts the same as you and I have;

Looking at these two last statements - one by Smith and one by Young - I wonder why, then, that the Bible would say God is “Spirit” (John 4:24)?  And that a Spirit doesn’t have “flesh and bones” (Luke 24:39)?

When our father Adam came into the garden of Eden, he came into it with a celestial body, and brought Eve, one of his wives, with him. He helped to make and organize this world. He is MICHAEL, the Archangel, the ANCIENT OF DAYS! about whom holy men have written and spoken--HE is our FATHER and our GOD, and the only God with whom WE have to do

Whoa up there!  Let’s see, Adam was already married to Eve and brought her with him to the Garden of Eden.  (Doesn’t this contradict Genesis 1 and 2?.)  Then Young states that Adam helped to “make and organize this world,” yet the Bible says that Adam himself was created on the last day of God’s creative work!  Wait, then Young said Adam is Michael the Archangel, yet angels are separate creations from man in the Bible.  Further, Michael is also “the ANCIENT OF DAYS,” but Daniel 7 says this is God the Father, who also happens to be the creator of all angels. But wait, Adam is also “our God, and the only God with who WE have to do.”  So God created himself as Adam the man, but really created Adam the angel who just happened to be man at the same time, but who is also God?!?  So God created himself? 

They came here, organized the raw material, and arranged in their order the herbs of the field, the trees, the apple, the peach, the plum, the pear, and every other fruit that is desirable and good for man; the seed was brought from another sphere, and planted in this earth. The thistle, and thorn, the brier, and the obnoxious weed did not appear until after the earth was cursed.

So Adam/God and his wife Eve came to earth with seeds from another planet (directed panspermia?) and organized it all into all the plants?  Does that mean someone else brought weed and thorn seeds from another planet after the curse?  Or did God come as another man with another wife to do this?

And who is the Father? He is the first of the human family; and when he took a tabernacle, it was begotten by his Father in heaven, after the same manner as the tabernacles of Cain, Abel, and the rest of the sons and daughters of Adam and Eve; from the fruits of the earth, the first earthly tabernacles were originated by the Father, and so on in succession.

This does go along with Smith’s teaching here, in that Brigham says God was once a human who had his own “Father in heaven,” “and so on in succession.”  However, Smith never said God was “the first of the human family,” i.e., Adam.

It is true that the earth was organized by three distinct characters, namely, Eloheim, Yahovah, and Michael, these three forming a quorum, as in all heavenly bodies, and in organizing element, perfectly represented in the Deity, as Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

So, the earth was not created, rather it was “organized” out of eternal matter, and this organization was done by “three distinct characters.”  Why does the Bible say God alone created the earth? And we now have another identity - that of the Holy Ghost being Michael!  But I thought Michael was Adam and Adam is the Father?  Are you as confused as I am?

In the June 18, 1873 edition of the Deseret News, on p.308, Brigham Young declared this doctrine was revealed to him by God:

How much unbelief exists in the minds of Latter-day Saints in regard to one particular doctrine which is revealed to them, and which God revealed to me - namely that Adam is our father and God.

So if the Adam-God doctrine was revealed by God to a prophet/president of the LDS church, then Mormons cannot logically deny this belief, so instead claim that Brigham Young misunderstood God!!!!  Another charge, of course, is that the sermon was “erroneously transcribed.”  Contrary to plain history and the documents to back it up, Spencer W. Kimball said this doctrine was “alleged to have been taught.” LDS apostles have even called this a heresy.  Regardless of the fact that Young stated it was revealed to him by God, many LDS officials denounce the teaching and claim Brigham Young just “expressed views.”

This article just scratches the surface of the many facets of the false god of Mormonism, a god who may or may not have been Adam in the Garden of Eden, a god who is fully human and who worked his way to become a god rather than the eternal God of the Bible, and as a fully human god it is impossible for him to be omnipresent and omniscient as the true God of true Christians.


(More on the god of Mormonism can be found at Mormonism Research Ministry)

The Non-Virgin Virgin Mary of Mormonism

According to LDS teachings, Mary was like every other person on earth; she originated as a spirit-child of Heavenly Father and one of his wives.  Then, after she was on earth and betrothed to Joseph, Heavenly Father had sexual relations with her to provide a body for Jesus.  The idea of a father having sex with his daughter apparently doesn’t seem to bother Mormons.  Neither does it seem to dawn on them that a woman who has had sex is not a virgin!

Okay, now that I’ve gotten your attention, let me provide quotations from Mormon sources which will confirm what I just stated.  What saved me lots of research time is that most of these are cited by Mormonism Research Ministry and were copied from there (emphasis mine).

Brigham Young (2nd President and prophet)
1.  "The Father came down and begat him, the same as we do now..." (The Complete Discourses of Brigham Young, vol. 1, p. 321; February 16, 1849, Salt Lake City)

2.  "When the Virgin Mary conceived the child Jesus, the Father had begotten him in his own likeness. He was not begotten by the Holy Ghost... Jesus, our elder brother, was begotten in the flesh by the same character that was in the garden of Eden, and who is our Father in Heaven... Now, remember from this time forth, and for ever, that Jesus Christ was not begotten by the Holy Ghost. I will repeat a little anecdote. I was in conversation with a certain learned professor upon this subject, when I replied, to this idea if the Son was begotten by the Holy Ghost, it would be very dangerous to baptize and confirm females, and give the Holy Ghost to them, lest he should beget children, and be palmed upon the Elders by the people, bringing the Elders into great difficulties." (Journal of Discourses, vol. 1, pp. 50, 51)

3.  "I believe the Father came down from heaven, as the Apostles said he did, and begat the Saviour of the world; for he is the only-begotten of the Father, which could not be if the Father did not actually beget him in person." (Journal of Discourses, vol. 1, p. 238)

4.  "When the time came that His first-born, the Saviour, should come into the world and take a tabernacle, the Father came Himself and favoured that spirit with a tabernacle instead of letting any other man do it. The Saviour was begotten by the Father of His spirit, by the same Being who is the Father of our spirits, and that is all the organic difference between Jesus Christ and you and me." (Journal of Discourses, vol. 4, p. 218)

5.  "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)

6.  "The man Joseph, the husband of Mary, did not, that we know of, have more than one wife, but Mary the wife of Joseph had another husband. On this account infidels have called the Savior a bastard. This is merely a human opinion upon one of the inscrutable doings of the Almighty. That very babe that was cradled in the manger, was begotten, not by Joseph, the husband of Mary, but by another Being. Do you inquire by whom? He was begotten by God our heavenly Father. This answer may suffice you---you need never inquire more upon that point." (Journal of Discourses, vol. 11, p. 268)

Heber C. Kimball (one of the original 12 apostles, and first counselor to Brigham Young in the First Presidency)
"In relation to the way in which I look upon the works of God and his creatures, I will say that I was naturally begotten; so was my father, and also my Saviour Jesus Christ. According to the Scriptures, he is the first begotten of his father in the flesh, and there was nothing unnatural about it." (Journal of Discourses, 8:211).

Orson Pratt  (original member of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles)
1.  "God, the Father of our spirits, became the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ according to the flesh. Hence, the Father saith concerning him, 'Thou are my Son, this day have I begotten thee.' We are informed in the first chapter of Luke, that Mary was chosen by the Father as a choice virgin, through whom He begat Jesus. The angel said unto the Virgin Mary, '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.' After the power of the Highest had overshadowed Mary, and she had by that means conceived, she related the circumstance to her cousin Elizabeth in the following words: 'He that is Mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is His name.' It seems from this relation that the Holy Ghost accompanied 'the Highest' when He overshadowed the Virgin Mary and begat Jesus; and from this circumstance some have supposed that the body of Jesus was begotten of the Holy Ghost without the instrumentality of the immediate presence of the Father. There is no doubt that the Holy Ghost came upon Mary to sanctify her, and make her holy, and prepare her to endure the glorious presence of "the Highest', that when 'He' should 'overshadow' her she might conceive, being filled with the Holy Ghost; hence the angel said, as recorded in Matthew, 'That which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost;' that is, the Holy Ghost gave her strength to abide in the presence of the Father without being consumed, but it was the personage of the Father who begat the body of Jesus; and for this reason Jesus is called 'the Only Begotten of the Father;' that is, the only one in this world whose fleshly body was begotten by the Father. There were millions of sons and daughters who he begat before the foundation of this world, but they were spirits, and not bodies of flesh and bones; whereas, both the spirit and body of Jesus were begotten by the Father---the spirit having been begotten in heaven many ages before the tabernacle was begotten upon the earth.

"The fleshly body of Jesus required a Mother as well as a Father. Therefore, the Father and Mother of Jesus, according to the flesh, must have been associated together in the capacity of Husband and Wife; hence the Virgin Mary must have been, for the time being, the lawful wife of God the Father; we use the term lawful Wife, because it would be blasphemous in the highest degree to say that He overshadowed her or begat the Savior unlawfully. It would have been unlawful for any man to have interfered with Mary, who was already espoused to Joseph; for such a heinous crime would have subjected both the guilty parties to death, according to the law of Moses. But God having created all men and women, had the most perfect right to do with His own creation, according to His holy will and pleasure: He had a lawful right to overshadow the Virgin Mary in the capacity of a husband, and beget a Son, although she was espoused to another; for the law which He gave to govern men and women was not intended to govern Himself, or to prescribe rules for His own conduct. It was also lawful in Him, after having thus dealt with Mary, to give her to Joseph her espoused husband. Whether God the Father gave Mary to Joseph for time only, or for time and eternity, we are not informed. Inasmuch as God was the first husband to her, it may be that He only gave her to be the wife of Joseph while in the mortal state, and that He intended after the resurrection to again take her as one of his own wives to raise up immortal spirits in eternity.

2.  "As God the Father begat the fleshly body of Jesus, so He, before the world began, begat his spirit. As the body required an earthly Mother, so his spirit required a heavenly Mother. As God associated in the capacity of a husband with the earthly mother, so likewise he associated in the same capacity with the heavenly one; earthly things being in the likeness of heavenly things; and that which is temporal being in the likeness of that which is eternal; or, in other words, the laws of generation upon the earth are after the order of the laws of generation in heaven" (The Seer, pp. 158-9; cf. B. H. Roberts, Defense of the Faith and the Saints, vol 2, p. 270) 

Joseph F. Smith (6th President)
"Shall we as Latter-day Saints deny the truth and then claim that God made man in his likeness in the beginning? Shall we come under the impression that God possesses the power of creation, and yet did not literally create? He is not without his companion any more than I am without my companion, the mother of my children...

"Now, my little friends, I will repeat again in words as simple as I can, and you talk to your parents about it, that God, the Eternal Father is literally the father of Jesus Christ.   (a "classic sermon delivered by President Joseph F. Smith at the Box Elder Stake conference of December 20, 1914, as recorded in the Box Elder News of January 28, 1915" (Hoyt W. Brewster, Jr., Doctrine and Covenants Encyclopedia, p. 398; cf. Messages of the First Presidency 4:330)

Joseph Fielding Smith (10th President)
1.  "Christ Not Begotten of Holy Ghost... Christ was begotten of God. He was not born without the aid of Man, and that Man was God!" (Doctrines of Salvation, 1954, 1:18).

2.  “The birth of the Savior was a natural occurrence unattended with any degree of mysticism, and the Father God was the literal parent of Jesus in the flesh as well as in the spirit.” (Religious Truths Defined, p.44)

James E. Talmage (member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles)
1. The relationship of the Christ to the Eternal Father has been set forth in such plainness that I do not think any wayfaring man amongst us can fail to understand. We recognize in Jesus Christ the Son of the Eternal Father, both in spirit and in body. There is no other meaning to attach to that expression, as used by the Eternal Father Himself---'Mine Only Begotten Son.' Christ combined within His own person and nature the attributes of His mortal mother, and just as truly the attributes of His immortal Sire. By that fixed and inexorable law of nature, that every living organism shall follow after his kind, Jesus the Christ had the power to die, for He was the offspring of a mortal woman; and He had the power to withstand death indefinitely, for He was the son of an immortal Father. This simplicity of doctrine has shocked many, but the truth is frequently shocking just because of its simplicity and consequent grandeur." (Conference Report, April 1915, p. 121) 

2.  Notice that the following Talmage quote is in currently used CES Institute manuals (official Church curriculum):
"That Child to be born of Mary was begotten of Elohim, the Eternal Father, not in violation of natural law but in accordance with a higher manifestation thereof; and, the offspring from that association of supreme sanctity, celestial Sireship, and pure through mortal maternity, was of right to be called the 'Son of the Highest'" (James Talmage, Jesus the Christ, 23rd ed., p. 81; quoted in Doctrines of the Gospel Student Manual: Religion 231-232, p. 9; quoted in The Life and Teachings of Jesus and His Apostles [New Testament Student Manual: Religion 211–212], p. 24)

Melvin Ballard (LDS Apostle)
"Mary told the story most beautifully when she said that an angel of the Lord came to her and told her that she had found favor in the sight of God, and had come to be worthy of the fulfilment of the promises heretofore made, to become the virgin mother of the Redeemer of the world. She afterwards, referring to the event, said: 'God hath done wonderful things unto me.' 'And the Holy Ghost came upon her,' is the story, 'and she came into the presence of the highest.' No man or woman can live in mortality and survive the presence of the Highest except by the sustaining power of the Holy Ghost. So it came upon her to prepare her for admittance into the divine presence, and the power of the Highest, who is the Father, was present, and overshadowed her, and the holy Child that was born of her was called the Son of God.

Men who deny this, or who think that it degrades our Father, have no true conception of the sacredness of the most marvelous power with which God has endowed mortal men---the power of creation. Even though that power may be abused and may become a mere harp of pleasure to the wicked, nevertheless it is the most sacred and holy and divine function with which God has endowed man. Made holy, it is retained by the Father of us all, and in his exercise of that great and marvelous creative power and function, he did not debase himself, degrade himself, nor debauch his daughter. Thus Christ became the literal Son of a divine Father, and no one else was worthy to be his father." (Deseret News, 23 Dec 1923; Sermons and Missionary Services of Melvin J. Ballard, 166-167; Crusader for Righteousness, 144; taught to students by BYU-Idaho professor Robert L. Marrott)

Ezra Taft Benson (13th President)
“The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints proclaims that Jesus Christ is the Son of God in the most literal sense. The body in which he performed His mission in the flesh was sired by that same Holy Being we worship as God, our Eternal Father. Jesus was not the son of Joseph, nor was He begotten by the Holy Ghost. He is the Son of the Eternal Father.” (The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, 1988,pp.6-7)

Bruce McConkie (apostle, member of the First Council of the Seventy, and a General Authority)
1.   “Christ was begotten by an Immortal Father in the same way that mortal men are begotten by mortal fathers.” “Christ was born into the world as the literal Son of this Holy Being; he was born in the same personal, real, and literal sense that any mortal son is born to a mortal father. There is nothing figurative about his paternity; he was begotten, conceived and born in the normal and natural course of events.” (Mormon Doctrine, pp. 546-7, p742.) (cited from my personal copy)

2.  "What does it mean to believe in Christ? It means to accept him as the Son of God in the literal and full sense of the word. It means to believe that God is his Father in the same sense that all mortal men have fathers." (The Promised Messiah: The First Coming of Christ, p. 294)

3.  "The Father had a Son, a natural Son, his own literal Seed, the Offspring of his body." (The Promised Messiah: The First Coming of Christ, p. 355)

4.  "The great God, the Eternal Elohim, the Father of us all, ... in his love, mercy, and grace condescended to step down from his Almighty throne, to step down to a lesser and benighted state, as it were, and become the Father of a Son 'after the manner of the flesh.' ... This then is the condescension of God-that a God should beget a man; that an Immortal Parent should father a mortal Son; that the Creator of all things from the beginning should step down from his high state of exaltation and be, for a moment, like one of the creatures of his creating... We have spoken plainly of our Lord's conception in the womb of Mary; in reality the plain assertions are found in the revealed word, and we have but certified that the words mean what they say and cannot be spiritualized away. And as it is with reference to our Lord's mother, so it is as pertaining to his Father. The scriptures say that Jesus Christ is the Only Begotten Son. The problem is that the intellectually led ministry and laity of the day assume, as Satan leads them to do, that a name-title of this sort is simply figurative and does not have the same literal meaning as when the words are spoken in ordinary conversation. Perhaps again the best service we can render, on the issue here involved, is somehow to get the message across that words mean what they say, and that if Christ is the Only Begotten of the Father, it means just that....

The Father is a Father is a Father; he is not a spirit essence or nothingness to which the name Father is figuratively applied. And the Son is a Son is a Son; he is not some transient emanation from a divine essence, but a literal, living offspring of an actual Father. God is the Father; Christ is the Son. The one begat the other. Mary provided the womb from which the Spirit Jehovah came forth, tabernacles in clay, as all men are, to dwell among his fellow spirits whose births were brought to pass in like manner. There is no need to spiritualize away the plain meaning of the scriptures. There is nothing figurative or hidden or beyond comprehension in our Lord's coming into mortality. He is the Son of God in the same sense and way that we are the sons of mortal fathers. It is just that simple. Christ was born of Mary. He is the Son of God-the Only begotten of the Father." (The Promised Messiah: The First Coming of Christ, pp. 467-8)

5.  "And so, in the final analysis it is the faithful saints, those who have testimonies of the truth and divinity of this great latter-day work, who declare our Lord's generation to the world. Their testimony is that Mary's son is God's Son; that he was conceived and begotten in the normal way; that he took upon himself mortality by the natural birth processes; that he inherited the power of mortality from his mother and the power of immortality from his Father-in consequence of all of which he was able to work out the infinite and eternal atonement." (The Promised Messiah: The First Coming of Christ, p. 473)

6.  “God the Almighty, who is infinite and eternal, elects, in his fathomless wisdom, to beget a Son, an Only Son, the Only Begotten in the flesh. God, who is infinite and immortal, condescends to step down from his throne, to join with one who is finite and mortal in bringing forth, ‘after the manner of the flesh,' the Mortal Messiah." (The Mortal Messiah: From Bethlehem to Calvary, pp. 314-315)

7.  "The Father had a Son, a natural Son, his own literal Seed, the Offspring of his body." (The Promised Messiah: The First Coming of Christ, p. 355)

8.  "There is no need to spiritualize away the plain meaning of the scriptures. There is nothing figurative or hidden or beyond comprehension in our Lord's coming into mortality. He is the Son of God in the same sense and way that we are the sons of mortal fathers. It is just that simple." (The Promised Messiah: The First Coming of Christ, p. 468)

9.  "Only Begotten Son. Only Begotten in the flesh, meaning in mortality. This designation of our Lord signifies that he was begotten by Man of Holiness as literally as any mortal father begets a son. The natural processes of procreation were involved; Jesus was begotten by his Father as literally as he was conceived by his mother." (Doctrinal New Testament Commentary 1:144)

10.  “Begotten means begotten; it means Christ's mortal body was procreated by an Eternal Sire; it means God is the Father of Christ, 'after the manner of the flesh.'" (Doctrinal New Testament Commentary 3:138-141)

11. God came down here to earth to impregnated Mary "instead of letting any other man do it." Mormon Doctrine of Deity, p.264.

OTHER SOURCES

First Presidency Statement
"Jesus Christ is the Son of Elohim both as spiritual and bodily offspring; that is to say, 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, and which body died on the cross and was afterward taken up by the process of resurrection, and is now the immortalized tabernacle of the eternal spirit of our Lord and Savior. No extended explanation of the title 'Son of God' as applied to Jesus Christ appears necessary." ("The Father and The Son; A Doctrinal Exposition by The First Presidency and The Twelve", pamphlet published by the Church, June 30, 1916; quoted in Improvement Era 19:934-942, August, 1916; quoted in Liahona, the Elders' Journal 21:380-384, March 25, 1924; quoted in The Articles of Faith, by James Talmage, pp. 466-7; quoted in Jesus the Christ, 12th ed., by James Talmage, pp. 465-47; quoted in Teachings Of Presidents Of The Church: Joseph F. Smith, p. 353; quoted in Christ and the New Covenant: The Messianic Message of the Book of Mormon, by Jeffrey R. Holland, p. 360; quoted in Church History and Modern Revelation, by Joseph Fielding Smith, vol. 2, p. 160; quoted Man, His Origin and Destiny, by Joseph Fielding Smith, p. 119; quoted in God the Father, compiled by Gordon Allred, p. 150)
  
Church Curriculum
1.  "[Jesus Christ] was willing to make payment because of his great love for mankind, and he was able to make payment because he lived a sinless life and because he was actually, literally, biologically the Son of God in the flesh" (Messages for Exaltation: Eternal Insights from the Book of Mormon, (Salt Lake City: Deseret Sunday School Union, 1967), pp. 378-379).

2.  "God the Father became the literal father of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the only person on earth to be born of a mortal mother and an immortal father." (Gospel Principles, 1997 ed., p. 57)

Miscellaneous
1.  The official LDS publication “Principles of the Gospel” (1969), signed by the First Presidency, states, “Jesus Christ is the Son of Elohim both as spiritual and bodily offspring; that is to say, 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 . . . No explanation of the title ‘Son of God’ as applied to Jesus Christ appears necessary.” (cited from my personal copy).

2.  "He is the Son of God, literally, actually, as men are the sons of mortal parents.." (What the Mormons Think of Christ, a pamphlet published by the LDS Church, p. 44

3.  "Mormons differ from other Christians in our literal belief that we are begotten of God spiritually and that Christ was begotten of him physically. Paul says in Acts that we are God's offspring (17:28-29). We believe that our spiritual conception was sexual just as we believe that Christ's mortal conception was. Elucidating on the latter, James E. Talmage says, 'That child to be born of Mary was begotten of Elohim the Eternal Father, not in violation of natural law, but in accordance with a higher manifestation thereof' (1986, 81)" (Robert A. Rees, “Bearing our Crosses Gracefully: Sex and the Single Mormon,” Dialogue, vol. 24, no. 4, p.99).

4.  "The official doctrine of the Church is that Jesus is the literal offspring of God. He’s got 46 chromosomes; 23 came from Mary, 23 came from God the eternal Father" (BYU Professor Stephen E. Robinson, The Mormon Puzzle, produced by the Southern Baptist Convention, 1997).

Contrary to all this evidence, Mormon apologist Robert Millet writes, "While Latter-day Saints clearly believe that Jesus is the Son of God the Father, there is no authoritative doctrinal statement within Mormonism that explains how the conception of Jesus was accomplished," (Another Jesus? The Christ of the Latter-day Saints, p. 74)  Remember who these people are who taught this doctrine: LDS officials, including their prophets, apostles, and presidents, including Brigham Young.  Were not any of these authors “authoritative”?!?  

Many times in the past when I have confronted Mormons with the idea of Mary not being a virgin, I have been told she was still a virgin to mortal man because it was the god-man who had relations with her.  I still don’t understand how a woman who had sex can still be a virgin.

The Virgin birth - from a true virgin - is very important for Christian doctrine.  I previously posted this citation, but it is well worth posting as a closing statement for this article:

Doctrinally it must be repeated that the belief in the virgin birth of Christ is of the highest value for the right apprehension of Christ’s unique and sinless personality.  Here is One, as Paul brings out in Romans 5:12, who, free from sin Himself, and not involved in the Adamic liabilities of the race, reverses the curse of sin and death brought in by the first Adam, and establishes the reign of righteousness and life. Had Christ been naturally born, not one of these things could be affirmed of Him.  As one of Adam’s race, not an entrant from a higher sphere, He would have shared in Adam’s corruption and doom - would Himself have required to be redeemed.  Through God’s infinite mercy, He came from above, inherited no guilt, needed no regeneration or sanctification, but became Himself the Redeemer, Regenerator, Sanctifier for all who receive Him.  (Dr. James Orr, The Virgin Birth of Our Lord, as cited by Herbert Lockyer, All the Doctrines of the Bible, p.39)