Nauvoo: Behind the Veil

The following is from a tract published by the Nauvoo Christian Visitors Center and written by Sharon Lindbloom. (I will put footnote numbers in brackets.) I was given permission to post it.

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Nauvoo, Illinois became the home of the Latter-day Saints (Mormons) in 1839. With hard work and commitment, mosquito infested swamp land was changed into a thriving city. Indeed, Nauvoo had become one of the largest cities in Illinois by 1844 claiming a population of 12,000 residents. However, due to irreconcilable differences with their neighbors, the Mormons left the city in 1846, moving west to establish their own kingdom in the wilderness. Nauvoo slowly declined until it was nearly deserted. Today it has a permanent population of only 1,100 citizens.

Owing to their shared history, Nauvoo has become something like a “Mecca” to the LDS Church. Faithful Mormons have invested millions of dollars to renovate and restore Nauvoo. The historic streets, quaint brick buildings, immaculate grounds and tour guides dressed in 1840s costume draw thousands of visitors to the area each year. In addition, for one week each summer tourists are treated to a lavish outdoor musical pageant purportedly depicting Nauvoo’s history.

The show begins with a rousing song and dance, “City of Joseph, City Beautiful! City of Joseph—Nauvoo!” To the pageant-watching tourists, who have just witnessed a beautiful sunset over the Mississippi River, the message is absolutely true! Nauvoo is beautiful.

But this is a recreation of that frontier town. The 1840s Nauvoo scarcely resembled a picture postcard. This was the time and place that Joseph Smith, the founder of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, chose to begin teaching the practice of 'plural marriage’ to his trusted followers. Though denied vehemently in public, the inner circle of the Mormon Church secretly lived this “commandment”—which was required for their salvation—to its fullest extent.

Behind the veil of “faith-promoting” history lies a very different view of history Nauvoo. Following are just a few examples of characteristics prevalent in this 1840s town of which many tourists remain unaware.

Adultery

In 1841 Joseph Smith sent Henry B. Jacobs on a mission. While he was absent, Joseph seduced and married Jacob’s wife, Zina D. Huntington Jacobs. She became Joseph’s 7th wife. One report states that when Jacobs returned from his mission he found his wife pregnant with Joseph’s child. In 1846, after Joseph’s death, Zina left Jacobs to marry Brigham Young, Mormonism’s second Prophet. Brigham reportedly told Jacobs that since Zina had been Joseph’s spiritual wife, and since Brigham was now Joseph’s proxy, Zina and her children belonged to him (Brigham). He consoled Jacobs by telling him that he (Jacobs) could go and get a different wife for himself. [1].

Of the 49 ‘wives’ of Joseph Smith, 13 of them were married to other men at the time they married Joseph. He also married 5 pairs of sisters and one mother/daughter set (for a biblical perspective on this, see Leviticus 18:17,18; 20:14). Six of Joseph’s wives had at one time been wards in his home and cared for by his legal wife, Emma. [2]

Wife Swapping

If one’s convictions condone marrying other men’s wives, it is small step to accept the appropriateness of trading wives. Mormon John D. Lee wrote, “Some have mutually agreed to exchange wives and have been sealed to each other as husband and wife by virtue and authority of the holy priesthood. One of Brigham’s brothers… made an exchange of wives with Mr. Decker,… They both seemed happy in the exchange of wives.” [3]

Trial Marriages

 Sometimes these polygamists thought it was advisable to check compatibility between wives before the actual marriage in order to avoid problems later on. Lucretia Fisher spent two months living in the Hosea Stout home with his legal wife and family before her marriage to Hosea. [4]

The Prophet’s brother, William, had a wife that lived with him one or two weeks before their marriage; she couldn’t remember which. [5]

Abortion

When the idea of plural marriage was new Joseph chose mainly married women to become his ‘brides’. Therefore, if a pregnancy resulted it did not create a problem within the highly moral community; the child was naturally assumed to be that of the woman’s legal husband. However, as the practice of polygamy spread to include additional men and unmarried women, there arose a need for the services of John C .Bennett, an abortionist. Dr. Bennett, who had at one time been Joseph’s closest confident, admitted that he had performed abortions in Nauvoo. [6]

Fatherless Children

Doubtless, the vast majority of women did not consider abortion to be an option; this left many fatherless children. The public blame for these children was placed on John C. Bennett after he had lost favor with the Prophet. The children themselves  were absorbed into trusted Mormon families. [7]

Unknown Fathers

For women who had legal husbands there was a different complication. Many women reported that they did not know who the fathers of their children were. In the case of Joseph’s third wife, Prescinda Huntington Buell, “she did not know whether Mr. Buel (sic) or the Prophet was the father of her son.” However, according to a Mormon historian, photographs lend the strong support to the latter being responsible. [8]

Deserted Wives

One may wonder who took responsibility for the physical needs of the fatherless families. At least in the case of Joseph Smith, “No evidence exists that he assumed the support of his wives in the traditional sense of providing them with food, clothing, and shelter, except for the young women in his house.” Some of Joseph’s wives lived with their parents, some with other plural wives, and some with other polygamous families. [9] The institution of “family” in Nauvoo had become reprehensible.

Intimidation

Some women who were approached with the idea of secretly marrying a man in addition to her legal husband—or a man who already had another wife—did not easily accept the proposal. In many cases persuasion was required. Lucy Walker was told by Joseph Smith that he had been commanded by God to take her as his wife. He indicated that if she truly believed him to be a prophet of God she would consent. When Lucy hesitated Joseph said “I will give you until tomorrow to decide this matter. If you reject this message the gate will be closed forever against you.” Lucy described her agony: “I was tempted and tortured beyond endurance until life was not desirable… I felt at this moment that I was called to place myself upon the altar a living sacrifice…”. On May 1, 1843 Lucy became Joseph’s 25th wife. It was one day after her 17th birthday. [10]

Sexual Harassment

Nancy Rigden was 19 years old when both John C. Bennett and Joseph Smith vied for her devotion. Having been forewarned by Bennett that Joseph would ask for her hand in plural marriage, she was ready when the invitation came and refused the Prophet in no uncertain terms. However, Joseph would not take ‘no’ for an answer and, despite Nancy’s tears, would not allow her to go home. After she threatened to scream and bring the whole town running Joseph let her go, but he sent her an imploring note the next day in order to convince her that polygamy was sanctioned by God. Nancy showed the letter to her father who immediately confronted the Prophet. Joseph denied everything at first, but when the letter was produced he admitted the truth. However, he excused himself by explaining that he had merely been testing Nancy’s virtue. [11]

Character Defamation

Certain women, highly offended at being solicited to practice this form of adultery, exposed the efforts of the men who tried to convince them. One such case involved Martha Brotherton. Brigham Young wanted her for his wife and even enlisted the Prophet’s help in his appeal. Martha asked for time to consider; when she arrived home she told her parents and wrote down the whole episode while it was fresh in her mind. The Brothertons soon left Nauvoo, but told Martha’s story to as many as would listen. Church leaders publicly claimed that the story was a base falsehood and linked Martha’s name with the evil John C. Bennett. Others alleged Martha was a harlot and a liar. One of her accusers was her own sister, who later became a plural wife of Mormon Apostle Parley P. Pratt. [12]

Deception

One of the foremost characteristics of 1840s Nauvoo was deceit. Polygamy was kept a secret from all except the ‘inner circle’ and was publicly denied. One Sunday morning Joseph preached from the Stand, “What a thing it is for a man to be accused of committing adultery, and having seven wives, when I can only find one.” Joseph had not 7, but 48 secret wives when he preached his sermon; now those poor women must have felt as they listened to their Prophet/husband mock their ‘sacred’ marriages! [13]

In addition to the denial of polygamy, wives deceived husbands; husbands deceived wives; children were told lies about their parentage; women deceived their friends, at times being involved in an adulterous relationship with the friend’s husband; and the list goes on….

Prostitution

One of the modern-day arguments in favor of polygamy asserts that this practice reduces the incidence of extra-marital affairs. However, Nauvoo history challenges this conclusion. The town had a brothel and presumably enough business to support it. Two thousand people would pass the building on their way to Sunday meetings each week. The city council eventually put the house on rollers and pitched it over the edge of a deep gully! [14]

Murder

Joseph Smith had enemies wherever he went. Illinois was no different from any other place the Church had called home. Non-Mormon neighbors were fearful and troubled by several issues: the power the Mormons held politically; the unusual City Charter Nauvoo had obtained; the dictatorial rule exercised within the city; and the peculiar ways of the Mormons. These fears turned one-time allies into enemies. Mormon John D. Lee disclosed how these enemies were dealt with: “I knew of many men being killed in Nauvoo by the Danites. It was then a rule that all the enemies of Joseph Smith should be killed, and I know many a man who was quietly put out of the way by the orders of Joseph and his apostles while the Church was there.” [15]

Apostasy

There were some people of integrity in Nauvoo who could not reconcile the practices of the Church with its ideals. Many believed Joseph was a fallen prophet and yearned to effect a reformation within the Church. Others considered Joseph a base imposter These people left the Church and mounted a campaign against the Prophet. They began by bringing law suits against Joseph for slander, adultery, polygamy, and false swearing. They obtained a printing press and published a newspaper exposing many of the distinctly unprophet-like dealings in which Joseph was involved. The assault ended a short time later with the death of Joseph Smith. [16]

And thus began the death of Nauvoo.

“City of Joseph, City Beautiful! City of Joseph—Nauvoo!”

On May 3, 1842 a Presbyterian minister living in Hancock County, where Nauvoo lies, wrote to a fellow pastor, “I presume Nauvoo is as perfect a sink of debauchery and every species of abomination as ever were Sodom and Ninevah. [17]

Is this a portrait of a community of saints? Does this typify the Mormon Church’s 13th Article of Faith, penned by Joseph Smith in Nauvoo in 1842: “We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men…”? Apparently this was just another of the Prophet’s lies.

Before the veil Nauvoo is disguised as City Beautiful. Behind the veil is the ugly truth.

Joseph Smith, the Mormon Prophet, remains central to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Membership in the Church is not granted to those who do not profess faith in him. In fact, Mormon salvation hinges on this faith. The second Prophet of the Church taught: “no man or woman in this dispensation will ever enter into the celestial kingdom of God without the consent of Joseph Smith… every man and woman must have the certificate of Joseph Smith, junior, as a passport to their entrance into the mansion where God and Christ are…”; “All those who believe in their hearts and confess with their mouths that Joseph Smith’s a true Prophet… are in possession of the Holy Spirit of God and are entitled to a fullness.” [18]

How contrary this is to the Bible, God’s Holy  Word! Jesus Christ said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me.” The Apostle Paul taught, “…if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” [19]

Beware of that which hides behind the veil. Be encouraged to solidly place your trust in the absolute and certain message of John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Endnotes:

1.  Fawn M. Brodie, No Man Knows My History, pp. 465, 466.

2.  Ibid., pp. 335-337.

3.  Confessions of John D. Lee, pg.165.

4.  Juanita Brooks, ed., On the Mormon Frontier - The Diary of Hosea Stout, Vol.1, pg. 21

5.  Brodie, pp. 303.

6.  Ibid., pp. 311, 312 (see footnote); also Newell and Avery, Mormon Enigma, pg.111.

7. Brodie, pg. 305; Newell and Avery, pg. 99.

8. Brodie, pg. 460; Ann-Eliza Young, Wife No. 19, pg. 71.

9. Newell and Avery, pg. 147.

10. Brodie, pp. 477-479.

11. Ibid., pp. 310, 311.

12. Ibid., pp. 306, 307 (see footnote); The Wasp, 8/27/1842, pg. 2.

13. History of the Church, Vol. VI, pg. 411; Brodie, pg. 336.

14. Newell and Avery, pg. 112.

15. Confessions of John D. Lee, pg. 284.

16. Brodie, pp. 374ff.

17. Ibid., pg. 269.

18. Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 7, pg. 289; Vol. 9, pg. 312.

19. John 14:6; Romans 10:9.

The Mormon Church and the Black

The following is copied from a tract of the title name, and which I have no idea from where I acquired it. The block on the back where the organization would be noted has been totally whited out. However, there is a small line which says, “By Permission of CRI,” which I know is the Christian Research Institute.  At any rate, I do know the information is accurate and so I will publish this to once again prove just how racist the Latter-day Saints cult is. 

Note: A major flaw in these citations has to do with the “seed of Cain.” They claim that Ham’s wife was “Egyptus,” who was a descendant of Cain but no biblical evidence shows this and I think, if this was a fact, the Bible would have noted such. However, the Bible doesn’t so much as intimate or suggest in any way that the curse on Cain or Ham’s son was black skin. This idea is invented by Mormons for racist reasons. Additionally, the mark (not “curse”) on Cain is plainly just on him and not on his progeny! As well, Ham was never cursed—his son Canaan was! Additionally, Satan’s name was NEVER “Lucifer,” which is another proof against the legitimacy of the LDS.

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For Nearly 140 years, Mormonism (the “Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) has taught that the black people are “inferior” and are “cursed” by God. The Mormon leaders who have taught these things in the name of Christianity are revered as “prophets, seers and revelators” by their Church, and their plain words about these cruel, unscriptural teachings remain for the world to judge.

However, in June 1978, Mormon leaders attempted to erase over a century of outside resentment with the announcement that “worthy” black persons could receive privileges and secret initiations which had always been denied them in Mormonism. This strange, unexpected turnabout came as Mormon leaders were planning to initiate their final drive to send their “missionaries” into the remaining lands of the world where Mormonism has been most resisted—particularly Africa. Surely, this cannot be mere coincidence. Nevertheless, the firm Mormon teaching that a whole race of people are “cursed with a black skin” for sins committed by them before they were born remains to this very day; no announcement or “revelation” has removed it.

The following quotations, taken from authoritative doctrinal writings and speeches by Mormon Prophets (their supreme earthly leaders) and Apostles, should serve as a sobering warning of the true nature of Mormonism—a religion which curses an entire people one day, and offers them greater “privileges” the next.

May true Christians beware of all such hypocrisy! 

[bold emphasis is added by the tract author]

BRIGHAM YOUNG, Second Prophet and President of the Mormon Church:

“I have never yet preached a sermon and sent it out to the children of men, that they may not call Scripture.” 

Journal of Discourses, Volume 13, page 95.

“You see some classes of the human family that are black, uncouth, uncomely, disagreeable and low in their habits, wild, and seemingly without the blessing of the intelligence that generally bestowed upon mankind. The first man that committed the odious crime of killing one of his brethren will be curse the longest of any one of the children of Adam. Cain slew his brother. Cain might have been killed, and that would have put a termination to that line of human beings. This was not to be, and the Lord put a mark on him, which is the flat nose and black skin. Trace mankind down to after the flood, and then another curse is pronounced upon the same race—that they should be the ‘servant of servants;’ and they will be, until that curse is removed; and the Abolitionists cannot help it, nor in the least alter that decree.”

Journal of Discourses, Volume 7, pages 290-291.

“In our first settlement in Missouri, it was said by our enemies that we intended to tamper with the slaves, not that we had any idea of the kind, for such a thing never entered our minds. We knew that the children of Ham were to be the ‘servant of servants,’ and no power under heaven could hinder it, so long as the Lord would permit them to welter under the curse, and those were know to be our religious views concerning them.”

Journal of Discourses, Volume 2, page 172.

“Shall I tell you the law of God in regard to the African race? If the white man who belongs to the chosen seed mixes his blood with the seed of Cain, the penalty, under the law of God, is death on the spot. This will always be so.”

Journal of Discourses, Volume 10, page 110.

JOSEPH SMITH, First Prophet and President and Founder of the Mormon Church:

“Had I anything to do with the negro, I would confine them by strict laws to their own species, and put them on a national equalization.”

History of the Church, Volume 5, pages 218-219

BRUCE R. McCONKIE, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Mormon Church.

“Those who were less valiant in the pre-existence and who thereby had certain spiritual restrictions imposed upon them during mortality are know thus as the negroes. Such spirits are sent to earth though the lineage of Cain, the mark put upon him for his rebellion against God and his murder of Abel being a black skin…. Noah’s son Ham married Egyptus, a descendent of Cain, thus preserving the negro lineage through the Flood…. The negroes are not equal with other races where the receipt of certain spiritual blessings are concerned, particularly the priesthood and the temple blessings that flow therefrom, but this inequality is not of man’s origin. It is the Lord’s doing, based on His eternal laws of justice, and grows out of the lack of spiritual valiance of those concerned in their first estate.”

Mormon Doctrine, 10th printing, pages 527-528.

“Racial degeneration, resulting in differences in appearance and spiritual aptitude, has arisen since the fall. We know the circumstances under which the posterity of Cain (and later of Ham) were cursed with what we call negroid racial characteristics.”

Mormon Doctrine, page 616.

“Though he was a rebel and an associate of Lucifer in the pre-existence, and though he was a liar from the beginning whose name was Perdition, Cain managed to attain the privilege of mortal birth… As a result of his rebellion, Cain was cursed with a dark skin; he became the father of the Negroes, and those spirits who are not worthy to receive the priesthood are born through his lineage. He became the first mortal to be cursed as a son of perdition.” 

Mormon Doctrine, page 109.

“Through Ham (a name meaning black)[WRONG—it means “hot” or “warm”], ‘the blood of the Canaanites was preserved’ through the flood, he having married Egyptus, a descendant of Cain…. Negroes are thus descendants of Ham, who himself also was cursed, apparently for marrying into the forbidden lineage.”

Mormon Doctrine, page 343.

“….in a broad general sense, caste systems have their root and origin in the gospel itself, and when they operated according to the divine decree, the resultant restrictions and segregation are right and proper and have the approval of the Lord. To illustrate: Cain, Ham, and the whole negro race have been cursed with a black skin, the mark of Cain, so they can be identified as a caste apart, a people with whom the other descendants of Adam should not intermarry.”

Mormon Doctrine, page 114.

JOSEPH FIELDING SMITH, Tenth Prophet and President of the Mormon Church.

“I would not want you to believe that we bear any animosity toward the Negro. ‘Darkies’ are wonderful people, and they have their place in our church.”

Look magazine, October 22, 1963, page 79.

“There is a reason why one man is born black and with other disadvantages, while another is born white with great advantages. The reason is that we once had an estate before we came here, and were obedient, more or less, to the laws that were given us there. Those who were faithful in all things there received greater blessings here, and those who were not faithful received less…. There were no neutrals in the war in heaven. All took sides either with Christ or with Satan. Ever man had his agency there, and men receive rewards here based upon their actions there, just as they will receive rewards hereafter for deeds done in the body. The Negro, evidently, is receiving the reward he merits.”

Doctrines of Salvation, Volume 1, pages 66-67.

“President Brigham Young, answering a question put to him by Elder Lorenzo D. Young in a meeting held December 25, 1869, in Salt Lake City, said that Joseph Smith had declared that the negroes were not neutral in heaven, for all the spirits took sides, but the posterity of Cain are black because he (Cain) committed murder.”

The Way to Perfection, Pages 105-106.

“The negro race, for instance, have been placed under restrictions because for their attitude in the world of spirits, few will doubt. It cannot be looked upon as just that they should be deprived of the power of the Priesthood without it being a punishment for some act, or acts, performed before they were born.”

The Way to Perfection, page 43.

“Not only was Cain called upon to suffer, but because of his wickedness he became the father of an inferior race. A curse was place upon him and that curse has been continued through his lineage and must do so while time endures. Millions of souls have come into this world cursed with a black skin and have been denied the privilege of Priesthood and the fulness of the blessings of the Gospel. These are the descendants of Cain. Moreover, they have been made to feel their inferiority and have been separated from the rest of mankind from the beginning….we will also hope that blessings may eventually be given to our negro brethren, for they are our brethren—children of God—not withstanding their black covering emblematic of eternal darkness.”

The Way to Perfection, pages 101-102.

“Ham, through Egyptus, continued the curse which was placed upon the seed of Cain. Because of that curse this dark race was separated and isolated from the rest of Adam’s posterity before the flood, and since that time the same condition has continued, and they have been ‘despised among all people.’ This doctrine did not originate with Brigham Young but was taught by the Prophet Joseph Smith …. we all know it is due to his teachings that the negro today is bared from the Priesthood.”

The Way to Perfection, pages 110-111.

JOHN TAYLOR, Third Prophet and President of the Mormon Church.

“….after the flood we are told that the curse that had been pronounced upon Cain was continued through Ham’s wife, as he had married a wife of that seed. And why did it pass through the flood? Because it was necessary that the devil should have a representation upon the earth as well as God;….” 

Journal of Discourses, Volume 22, page 304.

“When he [Satan] destroyed the inhabitants of the antediluvian worlds, he suffered a descendant of Cain to come through the flood in order that he might be properly represented upon the earth.”

Journal of Discourses, Volume 23, page 336.

ORSON PRATT, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Mormon Church.

“….among the Saints is the most likely place for the [pre-existent] spirits to take their tabernacles, through a just and righteous parentage…. The Lord has not kept them in store for five or six thousand years past, and kept them waiting for their bodies all this time to send them among the Hottentots, the African negroes, the idolatrous Hindoos, or any other of the fallen nations of the earth. They are not kept in reserve in order to come forth to receive such a degraded parentage upon the earth; no, the Lords not such a being.”

Journal of Discourses, Volume 1, page 6.

MARK E. PETERSON, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Mormon Church.

“Who placed the Negroes originally in the darkest Africa? Was it some man, or was it God? And when He placed them there. He segregated them…. The Lord segregated the people both as to blood and place of residence. At least in the cases of the Lamanites and the negroes we have the definite word of the Lord Himself that He placed a dark skin upon them as a curse—as a punishment and as a sign to all others. He forbade intermarriage with them under the threat of extension of the curse ….And He certainly segregated the descendants of Cain when He cursed the Negro as to the Priesthood, and drew an absolute line. You may even say He dropped an Iron curtain there. The Negro was cursed as to the Priesthood, and therefore, was cursed as to the blessings of the Priesthood. Certainly God made a segregation there.

“Think of the Negro, cursed as to the Priesthood. Are we prejudiced against him? Unjustly, sometimes we are accused of having such a prejudice. But what does the mercy of God have for him? This Negro, who, in the pre-existence lived the type of life which justified the Lord in sending him to the earth in the lineage of Cain with a black skin, and possibly being born in darkest Africa—if that Negro is willing when he hears the gospel to accept it, he may have many the blessings of the gospel. In spite of all he did in the pre-existent life, the Lord is willing, if the Negro accepts the gospel with real, sincere faith, and is really converted, to give him the blessings of baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost….

“If I were to marry a Negro woman and have children by her, my children would all be cursed as to the priesthood. Do I want my children cursed as to the priesthood? If there is one drop of negro blood in my children, as I have read to you, they receive the curse. There isn’t any argument, therefore, as to inter-marriage with the Negro, is there? There are 50 million Negroes in the United States. If they were to achieve complete absorption with the white race, think what that would do. With 50 million Negroes inter-married with us, where would the priesthood be? Who could hold it, in all America? Think what that would do to the work of the Church!….

“Now we are generous with the Negro. We are willing that the Negro have the highest kind of education. I would be willing to let every Negro drive a Cadillac if they could afford it. I would be willing that they have all the advantages they can get out of life in the world. But let them enjoy these things among themselves. I think the Lord segregated the Negro and who is man to change that segregation?”

Race Problems—As They Affect the Church (address given at Brigham Young University)

Good Stuff to Peruse

One of the best sites, and one of my favorites, for learning about the cultic nature and false belief system of the LDS is Life After Ministry. They often expose things even I haven’t previously known about. Today’s post is to lead you to some of their recent articles which I think should be thought-provoking for any Mormon, and which hopefully will get the reader to consider leaving the LDS false god-man and false Jesus for the true God and Jesus of authentic Christianity.

Doctrine & Covenants 129:1-9: Joseph Smith actual taught that one should shake hands with demons. The whole passage is unbiblical nonsense.

One of the many errors in the Book of Mormon—that most perfect book—which had to be “fixed” to avoid embarrassment; how could Jesus be his own son?

Just one of the many problems with the geography in the Book of Mormon.

While Christendom has traditionally observed Good Friday as the remembrance of Jesus’ crucifixion which paid for our sins, Mormons can’t observe it because they believe the atonement was in the Garden of Gethsemane.  This particular article also cites the lies of the LDS explanation about Easter being from paganism and at the same time obliterates the lies with truth. I also direct you to two articles by Answers in Genesis: Is the Date of Easter of Pagan Origin? and Is the Name “Easter” of Pagan Origin?

When Mormon leaders admit that the Book of Mormon isn’t true, shouldn’t that lead a member of the LDS to have second thoughts about his religious beliefs?

Please explain to me, dear Mormon, how Jesus could be a “white” man when Jews were all darker-skinned that Europeans?

The LDS has a theology which requires a “heavenly mother” and yet the leadership has to be sure to tell their followers not to pray to her!

These articles should give you a pretty good taste of what you will find at Life After Ministry.

The False Hope of Mormons

Thus came the voice of the Lord unto me, saying: “All who have died without a knowledge of this gospel, who would have received it if they had been permitted to tarry, shall be heirs of the celestial kingdom of God; also all that shall die henceforth without a knowledge of it, who would have received it with all their hearts, shall be heirs of that kingdom; for I, the Lord, will judge all men according to their works, according to the desire of their hearts.”

Doctrine & Covenants 137:7-9

Before I address this passage, there is a bit of a quandary: 

This is in the Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith, pg.403, and I’m guessing it was published in 1997 since it's of the same series as the one on Brigham Young, which shows 1997—I tossed the one on Smith’s teachings after I tore out the pages I wanted to address.

My 1968 D&C does not have this “prophecy,” having ended at D&C 136.

My 2002 “Triple Combination” (BOM, D&C, POGP) DOES have it, as does the current version on the LDS internet page.

SO what gives? Why was this not in the 1968 version? I don’t have a copy of any earlier publication, but I’d like to know when it was dropped.

Anyway, there is a real problem here. If a person has never heard the true, biblical Gospel then they cannot have “confess[ed] with [their] mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in [their] heart that God raised Him from the dead,” then they cannot be saved (Rom.10:9). Their chance of doing so was lost when they died (Heb.9:27).

If they didn’t hear the Mormon gospel it doesn’t matter because it’s a false gospel so they can’t be saved anyway.

On top of that, we are not save by our works; this is stated throughout the New Testament. (e.g., Eph.2:89)

Mormon Scripture-Twisting

The Book of Mormon (the stick of Joseph in the hands of Ephraim,) had now been published for some time, and as the ancient prophet had predicted of it, “it was account as a strange thing.”

Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith, pg.373

According to Joseph Smith, the two “sticks” in Ezekiel 37:16 are the Bible and the Book of Mormon. However, as any reading of the actual text of Ez. 37:15-28 would demonstrate, the sticks represent the nations of Judah and Ephraim, and are symbolically put together to join all Israel as one nation again. Read for yourself from the King James Version (the version Mormons like):

15 The word of the Lord came again unto me, saying,

16 Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim and for all the house of Israel his companions:

17 And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand.

18 And when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, saying, Wilt thou not shew us what thou meanest by these?

19 Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand.

20 And the sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thine hand before their eyes.

21 And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land:

22 And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all.

23 Neither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions: but I will save them out of all their dwellingplaces, wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them: so shall they be my people, and I will be their God.

24 And David my servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them.

25 And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they, and their children, and their children's children for ever: and my servant David shall be their prince for ever.

26 Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore.

27 My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

28 And the heathen shall know that I the Lord do sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore.

Smith’s citation from Hosea 8:12, about “a strange thing,” suggests the passage refers to the “stick of Ephraim” being the Book of Mormon. But “the strange thing” was how the nation of Israel (Ephraim) regarded the law.

Mormons fail to look at the context of the “two sticks” so they can learn another example of scripture-twisting by Smith to support his lies.

LDS Pamphlet Compares Islam with Mormonism

The following article was published in the MormonismResearched news letter, March-April 2022.pg.1-2. From Mormonism Research Ministry.  There was no link to an on-line version so I am copying it here. 

New LDS pamphlet compares Mormonism with Islam

By Eric Johnson

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints produced a 35-page online pamphlet in late January that compares Mormonism with Islam.

The pamphlet—titled “Muslims and Latter-day Saints: Beliefs, Values, and Lifestyles”—was written with the help of three American Islamic clerics and is intended to help Mormons “root out bias against Islam.” When the project was announced in 2021, Apostle Gerrit Gong stated how it would “help us to be more kind and more accurate in what we say and feel about each other.”

The short pamphlet has 18 sections, with topics such as “profession of faith in God,” “prophets,” “Jesus Christ,” “scriptures,” and “the role of women.” Similarities rather than differences are emphasized in the writing.

I have no problem for the church to want to “foster understanding and respect” for Muslims, as the final line in the pamphlet states. I just think that a more complete disclosure regarding the true beliefs of both faiths should have been emphasized.

The introduction discusses the origin of the LDS Church, stating that Latter-day Saints are “sometimes incorrectly referred to as Mormons” while maintaining that they “affirm themselves to be Christian.” This claim is disputed by Bible-believing Christians. According to the pamphlet’s section titled “mutual respect,” “Islam teaches esteem for other religions, including Christianity.” Unfortunately, many people throughout the world—especially this who live in some African nations—are murdered daily for their beliefs in Christianity.

The Christian mission agency Open Doors documents how 1 in 8 Christians in the world are “targeted, discriminated against, and attacked for following Jesus.” The source of persecution in 19 of the top 25 countries—including Afghanistan, Somalia, Libya and Yemen—is due to Muslim persecution. This fact is ignored in the pamphlet.

In the same section, the pamphlet cites from a 1978 LDS First Presidency statement that said how “the great religious leaders of the world such as Muhammad…received…God’s light” (ellipses in original). The ellipses used in the pamphlet’s citation take away from what the original statement said.

In context, the original statement reads, “The great religious leaders of the world such as Muhammad, Confucius, and the Reformers, as well as philosophers including Socrates, Plato, and others, received a portion of God’s light (italics added). According to Mormonism’s leaders, other faiths and philosophies only have a “portion” of ultimate truth that is not enough for their adherents to attain the celestial kingdom. Consider the words of Apostle Bruce R. McConkie who described the perversion of what he felt was Mormonism’s “pure and perfect gospel”:

What is the church of the devil in our day, and where is the seat of her power?… The church of the devil is every evil and worldly organization on earth. It is all of the systems, both Christian and non-Christian, that have perverted the pure and perfect gospel; it is all of the governments and powers that run counter to the divine will; it is the societies and political parties and labor unions that sow strife and reap contention. It is communism; it is Islam; it is Buddhism; it is modern Christianity in all its parts. It is Germany under Hitler, Russia under Stalin, and Italy under Mussolini. It is the man of sin speaking in churches, orating in legislative halls, and commanding the armies of men” (The Millennial Messiah: The Second Coming of the Son of Man, 54-55.  Ellipsis and italics mine).

The pamphlet explains how Mormonism’s Jesus is “the sinless, Only Begotten Son of God, born of the virgin Mary.” This certainly sounds like the Christian description of the Incarnation and Virgin Birth except no definition of “Only Begotten” is provided. Yet LDS leaders have consistently explained how the pregnancy was the result of God the Father having physical relations with Mary.

Consider the words of 13th President Ezra Taft Benson: “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints claims 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” (The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, 7. See also the Church News, December 18, 2004, 16). This teaching would appall faithful Muslims. (See mrm.org/virgin-birth-doctrine.)

There are many similarities between Mormonism and Islam, including their agreement that the Trinity is a false teaching, the Bible is corrupt, and original sin or the possibility of the assurance of salvation is not true. Still, there are a number of major disagreements between the faiths that include the nature of God, creation, scripture, and the ability for anyone to receive salvation after death. (See my chart on page 1 [posted below]).

While the final section of the pamphlet (“religious diversity) does say how “there are significant differences between the two religions,” similarities such as how both religions “acknowledge the good that can be found in other religions” are emphasized.

There is no doubt that both faiths practice exclusivism, as adherents are taught that theirs is the only (true) way to God and, ultimately, eternal salvation. For example, Islam teaches that anyone who holds Jesus divine (as Mormons do) commits shirk, which is associating God with other deities.  Such a person commits blasphemy and is disqualified to spend eternity in paradise; instead, those who believe Jesus is God/a god will suffer in hell for eternity. As Surah 4:48 in the Qur’an states, “Allah forgiveth not that partners should be set up with Him…to set up partners with Allah is to devise a sin most heinous indeed.”

Meanwhile, LDS leaders teach that those who reject Joseph Smith and Mormonism cannot qualify for an exalted state in the celestial kingdom. As the church handbook explains, “Exaltation in the highest degree of the celestial kingdom can be obtained only by those who have faithfully lived the gospel of Jesus Christ and are sealed as eternal companions” (Handbook 2: Administering the Church, 2010, 3).

Muslims, of course, would never claim to “live the gospel of Jesus Christ” as defined by Mormonism nor do they get married in LDS temples.

Unfortunately, this pamphlet may confuse readers and possibly cause them to assume Islam and Mormonism are more similar than different. This is certainly not the case.

===========

For another comparison of the two religions, visit mrm.org/islam-christianity.

Strange Things Mormons Say

You are an eternal being. Before you were born, you existed as a spirit. In the presence of a loving Heavenly Father, you trained and prepared to come to earth for a brief moment and, well, perform.

Gary E. Stevenson, Your Four Minutes

Where in the Bible can this man, or any person, find such nonsense? Nowhere in the Bible, or even in the Book of Mormon do we find that people existed before conception as “spirit children” sired by the LDS god-man and his many spirit wives and who are just waiting for human babies to occupy once they are conceived.

This whole idea is not only ludicrous, but it totally illogical. How can we possibly have existed eternally”!?!  In accordance with this theology, everyone on earth are brothers and sisters in the spiritual realm—and so when they become physical humans and marry they are committing incest!

H/T: Life After Ministry.

Joseph Smith Never Understood the Difference Between Humans and Angels

Daniel in his seventh chapter speaks of the Ancient of Days; he means the oldest man, our Father Adam, Michael; he will call his children together and hold a council with them to prepare them for the coming of the Son of Man [see Daniel 7:9-14]. He (Adam) is the father of the human family, and presides over the spirits of men, and all that have had the keys must stand before him in this grand council.... The Son of Man stands before him, and there is given him glory and dominion. Adam delivers up his stewardship to Christ, that which was delivered to him as holding the keys of the universe, but retains his standing as head of the human family.”

Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith, pg.104

The title “Ancient of Days” has historically been interpreted as referring to God (or sometimes Jesus). It never, never has been a reference to Adam. And, as noted in my previous post, Michael the archangel is NOT Adam; Adam was a human and Michael, as an angel, is a completely different being. Adam does not preside over anyone because he died and had no authority over anyone even when he was alive.

When it comes to the “Son of Man,” i.e. Jesus, he is God in the flesh and never received any “stewardship” or “keys of the universe” from Adam because Adam had none to give Jesus. 

Show me from the Bible where I am wrong.

Joseph Smith Lies and Nonsense

The Priesthood was first given to Adam; he obtained the First Presidency, and held the keys of it from generation to generation. He obtained it in the Creation, before the world was formed, as in Gen. 1:26, 27, 28. He had dominion give him over every living creature. He is Michael the Archangel, spoken of in the Scriptures. Then to Noah, who is Gabriel; he stands next in authority to Adam in the Priesthood; he was called of God to this office, and was the father of all living in his day; and to him was given the dominion. The men held keys first on earth, and then in heaven.

Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith, pg.104

More problems for the Mormons:

First: Adam was not given any priesthood. There was no priesthood with God’s people until during the Exodus when it was given to Aaron and his sons. Show from the Bible where this is wrong. He and his wife had dominion—rule—over creation at the time they were created and there were no other people. All descendants of Adam still have dominion over the rest of creation (animals, vegetation, other creatures).

Second: Adam was not Michael the archangel nor was Noah the angel Gabriel. Angels are separate creations from mankind; people do not become angels at death.

More Unbiblical Lies By Joseph Smith and the LDS.

President John Taylor, the third President of the Church, explained: "Moses, Elijah, Elias and many other leading characters mentioned in the Scriptures, who had operated in the various dispensations, came and conferred upon Joseph the various keys, powers, rights, privileges and [permissions] which they enjoyed in their times.... Whatever of knowledge, of intelligence, of Priesthood, of powers, of revelations were conferred upon those men in the different ages, were again restored to the earth by the ministration and through the medium of those who held the holy Priesthood of God in the different dispensations in which they lived."

President Taylor also declared: "If you were to ask Joseph what sort of a looking man Adam was, he would tell you at once; he would tell you his size and appearance and all about him. You might have asked him what sort of men Peter, James and John were, and he would have told you. Why? Because he had seen them."

Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith, pg.103

Problems:

First: Elijah and Elias are the same person; Elias is the N.T. Greek version of his name. Of course the LDS has a really stretched explanation claiming there was another Elias who visited Smith. Smith was probably thinking of Elisha.

Second: These people noted had no “keys, powers, rights, privileges and [permissions] which they enjoyed in their time” to confer upon Smith. I challenge Mormons to demonstrate any of this from the Bible. These men had no power of the priesthood (the priesthood wasn’t given until the time of Moses and it was given to Aaron and his sons). Elijah was just a prophet.

Third: Smith could not have seen Adam, Peter, James or John; these men were dead and God gave only certain men the ability to visit earth and that was to Jesus only. Smith just plain lied.