For Mormons, it’s not Jesus’ birthday

This excellent article was posted at Mormonism Research Ministry.

By Sharon Lindbloom

23 December 2016

December Christmas celebrations notwithstanding, according to LDS leaders past and present, Jesus was born on 6 April 1 B.C. This fact was pointed out recently at LDS Daily in an article titled, “Was Jesus Christ Really Born in December?” Here journalist Aleah Ingram noted that James Talmage, a now-deceased apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, “believed the Savior was born on April 6, referencing the first verse in the twentieth section of the Doctrine and Covenants.” In his book, Jesus the Christ, considered by Mormons to be “the definitive work on the life of Christ” (Deseret News, 1/25/03), James Talmage wrote,

“We believe April 6^th to be the birthday of Jesus Christ as indicated in a revelation of the present dispensation already cited [D&C 2:1], in which that day is made without qualification the completion of the one thousand eight hundred and thirtieth year since the coming of the Lord in the flesh. This acceptance is admittedly based on faith in modern revelation, and is in no wise set forth as the result of chronological research or analysis. We believe that Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem of Judea, April 6, B.C. 1.” (104)

The LDS Daily article also cited past LDS prophets Harold B. Lee and Spencer W. Kimball stating unambiguously that Jesus was born on April 6, as well as a more recent comment from the April 2014 General Conference when LDS apostle David A. Bednar noted,

“Today is April 6. We know by revelation that today is the actual and accurate date of the Savior’s birth.” (“Bear Up Their Burdens with Ease,” Ensign, May 2014)

Not mentioned in the LDS Daily article but equally important to the topic, is this statement included in an LDS Church manual:

Jesus Was Born in Bethlehem, April 6, 1 B.C.” (The Life and Teachings of Jesus and His Apostles, 22)

In Christianity, the exact date of Jesus’ birth is unknown. The important fact is that Jesus was born in real time and in a real place. Therefore, Mormons believing Jesus’ birthday is on April 6 doesn’t really matter in the context of salvation.

But here’s what I find really interesting about this LDS Daily article. Though several Mormon leaders have clearly stated that the birth of Christ was on April 6, and though each of the leaders mentioned above are, according to the LDS Church, “prophets, seers, and revelators,” and though the April 6 date is included in an LDS teaching manual, and though a current apostle of the Church said in General Conference that the “actual and accurate” date of Christ’s birth is known by revelation, the LDS Daily article pointed out, “the Church has no official position” on the date of Jesus’ birth. After citing Mormon historians who disagree with LDS general authorities, the journalist wrote, “At the end of the day, there is no definitive way to prove the actual birth date of Jesus Christ.”

This leaves me scratching my head. While I do not believe LDS authorities receive their revelations directly from God, Mormons say they do. Mormonism plants its “true church” flag on the declaration that it is led by trustworthy latter-day prophets.

“By Christ’s authority, twelve Apostles were again called to lead that Church and receive direct revelation. This direct communication with the Savior continues today,… As with the early Church that we read about in the scriptures, [The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints] is led by a prophet who instructs God’s people under the Savior’s direction.” (“How can I know His true Church today?” at mormon.org)

“What many people do not realize is that there are again prophets on earth—speaking on behalf of God today! Through prophets, Heavenly Father continues to demonstrate His love and attention by sending us the messages we need right now. These men act as mouthpieces for God. Just as Moses spoke for God to all the Israelites, living prophets give instructions and counsel to all people today… These messages from God are available to all people: President Thomas S. Monson, his counselors, and the Twelve Apostles speak to the world twice a year during a meeting called general conference.” (“Why do we have prophets?” and “How do prophets impact society?” at mormon.org)

However, when Mormon prophets and apostles state at general conferences that it is known via revelation that Jesus was born on April 6, the Church “has no official position” on the matter and Mormons are left with the ambiguous bottom line: “there is no definitive way to prove the actual birth date of Jesus.”

Then LDS claims to the contrary, neither is there a definitive way to “prove” that Joseph Smith ever spoke with God, that the Book of Mormon came from God, or that the LDS Church is “the only true and living church upon the face of the earth.” If Latter-day Saints cannot or do not believe their prophets on inconsequential teachings like the birthday of Christ, why do they trust these men on doctrines related to salvation and exaltation? Or on the nature of God? Or on the Atonement? Indeed, what is to say that LDS prophets and apostles speak for – or hear from – God at all? The actual date of Christ’s birth doesn’t matter; but following a false prophet will matter for all of eternity.

As I wrote earlier, the important thing pertaining to Christ’s birth is not the specific date, but the fact.

“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”

Discussing the great biblical Christmas passage in Luke 2, Christian theologian John Piper summed up,

Christmas in Sum:

The Lord of never-ending, universal, sovereign governance. The Lord of all lords.

On a day— in real history. [“When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son…” -Galatians 4:4]

In a city— in a real world. [“But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah…from you shall come forth…one who is to be ruler in Israel…” -Micah 5:2]

The Savior— to take away all our guilt. [“You shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” -Matthew 1:21]

The Christ— to fulfill all our hopes. [“For all the promises of God find their Yes in Him.” -1 Corinthians 1:20]

The Lord— to defeat all our enemies and make us safe and satisfied for ever. [“Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of peace…” -Isaiah 9:6-7]    (John Piper, “A Savior Is Born! God Gets the Glory, You Get the Peace,” The Dawning of Indestructible Joy)

No matter the date of His birth, Jesus – God made flesh – was born to die, to save us from our sins. For this, with all the host of heaven we rejoice, “Glory to God in the Highest! And on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased!”

Mormon History Matters!

I maintain that any Mormon who spent time actually studying the history of the Mormon Church rather than the LDS version of their history, will, like me, leave the Mormon Church behind.  There are just too many frauds/lies behind their history, too many contradictions as to what God and Jesus supposedly told Joseph Smith, too many changes in their holy books, etc, to ignore.  It was my research into their history which led me to leave the LDS church; I saw how fraudulent it was from the beginning!

Well, I read this article at Mormonism Research Ministry and felt it needs to be shared in as many places as possible.  Perhaps Mormons reading it will realize that they are in a false belief system, proven by their history, and will seek the truth with the true Christ and God of the Bible. (For convenience, I will not change the text to blue as I usually do for articles/quotes which aren’t mine.)

Why Does Mormon History Matter?

By Sharon Lindbloom

2 December 2016

Though the LDS Church claims disillusioned members are not “leaving [the Church] in droves,” talks and articles about stemming the exiting tide continue to appear in the news. This week, Mormon-themed Meridian Magazine published “8 Things That Can Pull You Away From the Church” by Gary and Joy Lundberg. In this article, the Lundbergs explain,

“All around us we hear of friends and loved ones who are falling away from the Church. It breaks our hearts because we know of the incredible blessings they will be missing. We love them. With all our hearts we want them to enjoy all the blessings of the gospel and be with us throughout all eternity.

“We may ask, how does it happen? Some who once were faithful are now doubting and leaving the Church. It rarely suddenly happens; it’s usually a gradual process. It’s a process we all must guard against. Here are 8 things that ever so carefully pull people away.”

The Lundbergs’ list reflects the typical old-school ideas on why people leave Mormonism: these people aren’t doing enough to maintain their faith. They leave the Church because: “They stop reading the Book of Mormon… They forget their covenants… They listen to those who have left the Church… They cease praying to stay strong and faithful… They stop going to Church… They don’t listen to General Conference… They listen to the philosophies of men above the teachings of the prophets… They fail to acknowledge the Lord’s blessings.” The list does not leave room for anyone who comes into contact with disparate facts that raise doubts or questions about the LDS Church. In fact, the Lundbergs seem to suggest that if one has doubts, it’s because that person has failed to fully live his faith with real intent.

It is no small thing, yet unfortunately all too easy, to drift away from spiritual moorings. And surely this happens in all religions, Mormonism included. But, as noted in the results of a 2012 survey of disbelieving Mormons/former Mormons, a high percentage of those who lost their faith “were active and highly involved with the Church before losing belief.” As one commenter on the “8 Things” article wrote,

“the kinds of reasons the Lundbergs list here have little, if any, to do with people leaving. The Lundbergs may have observed these behaviors in those who leave, but these kinds of behavior, from what I have observed, typically *follow after* a person’s faith crisis and do not necessarily *precede* it (although it may vary some in each person’s case).” (wv549, November 28, 2016)

In fact, the Understanding Mormon Disbelief survey revealed that 70% of respondents listed historical issues as a major factor leading to their loss of faith. A reader of the Lundbergs’ article expressed concern and confusion about her friends who left Mormonism over the Church’s history:

“I have several friends who have left the church because of ‘things in the history’ that they didn’t know before. I, too have read the [LDS] gospel [topic] essays. Yes, there are items in there I hadn’t heard. Also items I hadn’t considered before. I hope you can answer the question none of my friends have been able to…. how does learning a new historical fact change the doctrine? How does it make the BOM untrue? How are you able to throw out all of the good, and all of the truth, because something ugly/hard/uncomfortable (whatever word you want to use) came to light? This is what I don’t understand, and I’m hoping that maybe you can enlighten me how something newly uncovered in the history can change every single good thing. Thanks!!” (Debbie, November 28, 2016)

I’d like to address Debbie’s question. A past president of the LDS Church said,

“I am grateful for my membership in the Church, and my testimony of its divinity hinges upon the simple story of the lad under the trees kneeling and receiving heavenly visitors–not one God, but two separate individual personages, the Father and the Son, revealing again to the earth the personages of the Godhead. My faith and testimony hinges upon this simple story, for if it is not true, Mormonism fails. If it is true–and I bear witness that it is– it’s one of the greatest single events in all history” (Howard W. Hunter, Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Howard W. Hunter, 2015, 96-97).

President Hunter’s testimony – the testimony of a Mormon prophet – hinged on historical fact. If the specific historical facts of Joseph Smith’s First Vision didn’t actually happen – and happen in the detailed way that the official version tells the story – President Hunter said “Mormonism fails.” Therefore, when a Mormon learns the uncomfortable truth that there are many versions of Joseph Smith’s First Vision story, and that the Father and the Son aren’t even in some of them, this is a big deal. This uncomfortable historical fact changes the Church’s doctrine in several ways. Christian authors Eric Johnson and Bill McKeever note,

“This [official version of the First] vision is significant to a Mormon for a number of reasons. First, it has been used to support the notion that God the Father and Jesus Christ, as two separate and distinct personages, are also two distinct and separate gods. And two, it gives the Mormon justification to believe Christianity had fallen into a complete apostasy and needed to be restored to earth.”

A fundamental belief of Mormonism — its doctrine on the very nature of God and Christ – has its roots in the official version of Joseph Smith’s First Vision. If the story is not true history, this important LDS doctrine has lost its foundation. Likewise, the historical truth of the alleged complete apostasy of Christianity is of great importance to Mormonism. An LDS Apostle once explained,

“The restored Church affirms that a general apostasy developed during and after the apostolic period, and that the primitive Church lost its power, authority, and graces as a divine institution, and degenerated into an earthly organization only. The significance and importance of the great apostasy, as a condition precedent to the re-establishment of the Church in modern times, is obvious. If the alleged apostasy of the primitive Church was not a reality, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is not the divine institution its name proclaims.” (James E. Talmage, The Great Apostasy, iii)

Historical evidence speaks against the LDS doctrine of the complete apostasy of the Christian church. The historical facts confirm that the apostasy as taught by LDS leaders never happened; this uncomfortable truth undermines the whole reason for the Restoration and the LDS Church’s existence, and demonstrates it “is not the divine institution its name proclaims.”

Marlin K. Jensen, then an LDS Seventy serving as the official Church Historian and Recorder, once instructed his Mormon audience,

“It is important that we become familiar with our Church’s history, especially with its founding stories. These stories—Joseph Smith’s First Vision, the coming forth of the Book of Mormon, angelic visitations by John the Baptist, Peter, James, John, Elijah, Elias, and others—contain the foundational truths upon which the Restoration is based.” (“Stand in the Sacred Grove,” Ensign, December 2014)

These things are all understood within Mormonism to be historical events. The Church teaches that they really happened; and because they really happened, the LDS Church is true. But every one of these founding stories have historical problems – problems of fact, not of faith. According to LDS leaders themselves, if the history isn’t true, the Church isn’t true.

“If Joseph Smith did not have that interview with God and Jesus Christ the whole Mormon fabric is a failure and a fraud. It is not worth anything on earth.” (LDS President Heber J. Grant, Conference Reports, April 1940, 128)

“Our whole strength rests on the validity of that vision. It either occurred or it did not occur. If it did not, then this work is a fraud… upon that unique and wonderful experience stands the validity of this church.” (LDS President Gordon B. Hinckley, “The Marvelous Foundation of our Faith,” Ensign (Conference Edition), November 2002, 80. Ellipsis mine.)

President Hinckley elsewhere explained,

“I would like to say that this cause is either true or false. Either this is the kingdom of God, or it is a sham and a delusion. Either Joseph talked with the Father and the Son, or he did not. If he did not, we are engaged in blasphemy.” (Gordon B. Hinckley, Conference Reports, October 1961, 116)

Debbie asked, “enlighten me how something newly uncovered in the history can change every single good thing.” Remember the words of LDS prophets. Historical facts that controvert the teachings of Mormonism prove that the Church is “a failure and a fraud,” “a sham and a delusion…blasphemy”; a church wherein, spiritually speaking, there is no “good thing.” As President Grant said, such a church “is not worth anything on earth.”

An official newspaper published by the LDS Church said this:

“In the Latter-day Saint faith, doctrine and history are so intertwined as to be inseparable; one sustains and gives meaning to the other.” (R. Scott Lloyd, “‘Good as old’: Conservators’ gentle handiwork preserves Church history in documentary artifacts,” Church News, July 5, 2008, 9)

I have used the LDS assertions of the First Vision and the Great Apostasy as examples of how this inseparable intertwining of history and doctrine works in Mormonism, but there are many other examples that could be discussed. My goal here is to help Mormons understand why their friends leave the Church over “things in the history.”

It takes a strong person to face hard truths like these and choose the path that releases them from being “engaged in blasphemy,” comfortable though that may be. My hope is that these once-believing Mormons who have shown that they care about truth, will not discard faith altogether. I hope they will fully investigate Christianity and, upon finding it trustworthy, will turn to the One Who Himself is the truth (John 14:6).

Mormonism Is Still Heretical!

Thus we see that the LDS Church still teaches the following:

1. God has not always been God, but achieved this position after years of self-effort.

2.  Heavenly Father and his wife, Heavenly Mother, were once mortals on another world, ruled by yet a different “god.”

3.  Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother are resurrected mortals who have achieved godhood.

4.  The goal of the LDS couple is to achieve godhood and become a Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother to their posterity.

5.  God, men and angels are the same species, just in different levels of achievement.

In other words, Mormonism is still a heretical offshoot of Christianity.

Cited from the article, “Is There a Mother God?” in the Salt Lake City Messenger, May 2016, Issue 126, pg.14