An Infidel in Mecca

Last week I had the opportunity to visit the Holy Land of the Mormon Faith, Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah. On Monday evening, I had the honor of visiting the new Art Museum with my parents and two sisters. They are all Mormon. So out of respect for them, I restrained myself from interrupting the tour guide as she explained the different displays. From my eyes the museum is an attempt for Mormons to find some substance to their faith. Their faith is anchored only to a single testimony.

The witness of visitation by God and of receiving new holy scripture. This alleged holy scripture chiseled on Gold Plates, the original source of the Book of Mormon, is nowhere to be found. It is said they were taken back to heaven until the world can handle the remaining sealed portion of its message. One can only image that marvelous day, when an angel from Heaven brings the plates and more written scripture is given to the Mormon saints. Joseph Smith, jr. is the witness. The only person who has supposedly seen God, the Father, and Jesus, and was instructed that no truth could be found on the earth and he needed to restore it. These main pillars of faith for the Mormon are based on the words of a single boy.

The museum tries to anchor the Mormon Faith to reality. There is no disputing that their was a farmhouse where Joseph lived when he was a boy or that the Hill Cummorah even exists. It is also remarkable all the effort and craftsmanship that early believers poured into their faith. But what can not be shown in any photograph or by any physical evidence is the truth of the claims made by the Mormon faith. It is not unlike what some early Christians attempted when visiting the Holy Land. Building large monuments to show where milestones in Jesus’ life took place. His birth, His miracles, His death, His resurrection. There is danger in creating idols or the needing of physical evidence for faith. It is even more dangerous to deceptively advertising these relics as proof of faith. Relics do not prove faith. They may demonstrate the commitment of the believer, but it does not prove the claims.

Later in the week, I returned to Temple Square. I had planned to met up with a small group that was passing out tracts at the North gate of temple square, but I arrived way too early. So as a non-member, infidel, I entered the gates of Mecca to the Holy Sites of the Mormon Faith. The visitor center was to my immediate right so I went in. I wondered around the first floor looking at the lovely paintings of Jesus and climbed the arching walkway up to the giant statue of Christ. It is a magnificent statue.

Next I wandered into the basement where the distinct Mormon story is told. The displays demonstrating the diverging beliefs and world view of the Mormon faith compared to traditional or historic Christianity. The theme was a restored gospel. It was in the middle of these displays when I was approached by two young ladies, Mormon missionaries.

They arrived at the moment I touched the screen to listen to a short narrative about the two witness of Christ. The Bible. The Book of Mormon. I listened and the two missionaries asked me how I felt about what I had heard. I took this as my Que to begin sharing my Christian faith with them. After talking with them for several minutes, I walked toward the next display and sat down. They followed cautiously joining me on a neighboring bench.

Eighty minutes later and at some point of the discussion two more missionaries joined us, they made their final testimonial witnesses and departed. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir was about to begin rehearsal and they wanted to go and listen. So we parted. It is hard to remember everything I asked them about and talked about and heard, but much of our discussion was about truth, discovery of truth, feelings, the bible, the need for modern prophets. One point I remember asking them, “Why do you consider the Latter-Days after Joseph Smith the fullness of times, and not the time when Jesus walked in Galilee?” They assured me that the mission of Christ was important and nothing measured up to the atonement of Christ, but that Joseph weaved all the gospel together. Restoring it to its fullness.

Another moment that I wanted to share was about truth. The discovering of truth is unrelated to warm feelings. Human emotion is fickle. Truth is not. I shared with the missionaries that asking the Lord to confirm the truth of written words by feelings, is backwards. The written words should confirm themselves without tempting God for emotional proof. There is a subjective response for me when I read or discover truth in the bible. I did not ask for the response, it is given, though. My point is that if you are looking for a specific emotional response to measure your spirituality, you will eventually get it.

In the end, the challenge remains to me and to the rest of the world either Joseph was a prophet or he was not? Either the Bible is the word of God, or it is not? Either Joseph was a prophet or the bible is the word of God? Both can not be true. They both exclude that possibility. The only other option is that neither is. For me I have chosen to trust that the Bible is the word of God. That God is able to protect his words. The apostle Peter, recognized by Mormons, Catholics, and Protestants clearly states in his epistle,

“Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; for ‘All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever.’ And this word is the good news that was preached to you.” 1 Peter 1:22-25 (ESV)

Destroying Truth

After listening to a conference talk given by a false Mormon apostle testifying of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon, I post this as a rebuttal. The Book of Mormon is a fable authored by a guilty false prophet. This is the story of the printing press, a symbol of dispersing the truth of God. A divine instrument of salvation and the death of liberty, when it is destroyed. I would ask that false teacher, did he step over the mangled printing press in Nauvoo to find the truth of the cornerstone of his religion?

Part One.
Some of the inventions of mankind are so revolutionary that they change the course of history. These inventions are inspired genius. They are even more remarkable when they redistribute power from the ruling classes and restore it to the people. It is especially marvelous when a single invention can flood the world with the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The printing press changed the world by mass production of written text. It allowed for the printing and mass distribution of the holy bible. The power of God unto salvation was released to the four corners of the world again. God in his infinite wisdom spread His merciful message of grace through thousands of copies of the scriptures just as He did in the beginning of this common area when thousands of scrolls flooded the ancient world with the written gospel message of the saving faith available to all through Jesus Christ.

“For I the LORD do not change” Malachi 3:6 “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” Hebrews 13:8. Just as the hand written scrolls of the ancient world flooded the world with the written word of the Lord, so did the printing press fill the world with the preserved written word of God again.

Those ancient scrolls and the printing press were able to spread the word of truth given in the written word, so that the Truth would be revealed. “What is Truth?” asked the Roman Dictator. But before the question is ever asked aloud our Lord provided the answer, “I am the way, the truth, and the life”. The printed words of scripture are made alive by the power of God’s Spirit to testify of the Truth, Jesus. The word made flesh. Immanuel. Urged on by the Rulers of some of the Jews that Roman Dictator would try to silence the truth and crucify the word made flesh. An appeasement to keep the kingdom of Caesar at peace. By killing the Prince of Peace.

Those printed words upon the pages are only reinforced, not undermined as more of those ancient manuscripts are found each year. The reliability of the written word of scripture, the Holy Bible, is sustained by Almighty God. The Psalmist sing, “The sum of your word is truth, and every one of your righteous rules endures forever.” Psalm 119:160; The prophets proclaim, “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.” Isaiah 40:8; The Apostle appeals “but the word of the Lord remains forever.” 1 Peter 1:25. And the authority of the Master declares, “For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.” Matthew 5:18. The printing press, an instrument used to proclaim truth, flooded the world with the written truth, the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Part Two.
There is another story about the printing press that is a little more obscure. It is a small printing press from Nauvoo, Illinois around 1844, about 300 years after its invention. When another truth was being made known to the world. The truth that the false prophet Joseph Smith, jr. had been a closet polygamist and had more than one wife. Published proof that Joseph was living contrary to the commandments of God “Thou shall not covet thy neighbor’s wife” and “Thou shall not commit adultery”; yet he still professed to be the prophet of God. “If you love Me, keep My Commandments” the Lord said. What prophet of God would rebel against God by not keeping His commandments?

Rather than take responsibility for the consequence of his many sins, the false prophet led a mob and broke into a private business and destroyed the offending printing press, the symbol of dispersing the truth. He attacked the sacred right of freedom of speech and of the press. This American Dictator did this to kill the truth to protect his small kingdom in western Illinois. Not unlike that Roman Dictator did so many years before in killing truth and murdering its twin peace. Yet the rule of law would finally prevail, he would be arrested for this crime of destroying another man’s property. While waiting for trial the wage of sin found him, death.

Joseph claimed to be a lamb being led to the slaughter. The last lie in a long string of “bearing false witness.” The largest lie being the five hundred page fable titled the Book of Mormon. He was guilty, has there ever been a guilty lamb? No.

Yet, was this last crime punishable by death? No, the breaking into a private business and destroying a printing press does not deserve death. But then again was the loss of several minutes from a single tape from the oval office that bad? No, but when it is the last link in a long chain of immoral activity, why shouldn’t the full measure of the law be enforced? Did Al Capone deserve 21 years in Alcatraz for tax evasion, or did he deserve more than that for all the other high crimes he had committed. Wouldn’t Joseph the false prophet deserve more punishment for enslaving millions on his highway (shiny and paved four lane toll road) to hell? Wouldn’t all the false prophets that succeeded him deserve the same condemnation?

Conclusion
Where am I going with all this? The tale of the printing press is a symbol of the dispersing of truth with two different endings. The divine and the dark. First the divine story, after a thousand years of abuses by the powerful Catholic hierarchy, the power of God was unleashed to the masses, through this small invention millions were set free into the Liberty of Christ. Second the dark tale, another printing press was destroyed to enslave millions more in a vain attempt to kill the truth. A desperate act to destroy truth. Has any harm ever come from shining the light of truth into darkness? yes, but it is harm for the devil and his minions. The light burns evil. Evil must destroy truth along with every instrument that brings it forth. Even if it is only a small printing press in a little newspaper office on the frontier of America. Truth must die for evil to grow.

“and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:32.

This is one more testimony among many thousands of others I hold for my love for the written word of my LORD, the Holy Bible. The great sovereignty of God to save mankind through the expansion of truth. The truth of His Son, Jesus Christ offered to save us from the growing evil and those who would destroy the truth or try to hide it.

The written word of God is not only a pillar of belief for conservative Christian theology. It is the truth of God. It completely and clearly reveals the power of God unto Salvation. It reveals Jesus Christ, in all his power, glory, and splendor made weak like the rest of His Creation to suffering and die to set men free from sin. Don’t try to cover your own sins by destroying your neighbor’s printing press, don’t kill the truth, instead let the blood of Jesus wash you clean. Believe Jesus. Trust Jesus. Love Jesus. Obey Jesus. Jesus will set you free.

Beyond My Theological Label

As you can tell I have taken a break from writing my book, and have returned to the world of web logs at least for a while. Recent events in my life have urged me to turn the mirror on myself. My next entries will be self exams beginning here.

As important as my theology is, it is not as important as my humility in accepting correction for all my bad theological positions. By theology I mean what most consider religious ideas and practices that come from those ideas including but not limited to my view of man, my view of God and my study of God. Whatever my theological label may be that current label is not important. The real question is, Can I change my theology, if it is exposed as being incorrect, or am I too stubborn and proud to let go of that label? Am I meek in accepting correction for all my bad theological positions? Part of my theology is that the only source for correcting my wrong theology is God. My theological position is that the only reliable and authoritative source for God’s position is the Holy Bible.

If I wear my theological label without meekness, it can hold me captive and keep me from growing into deeper fellowship with the Lord and from a right relationship with God. For me, the right relationship with God is the most important part of anyone’s theology. The Bible reveals God as the Creator, the Judge, the King of Israel, the Holy One, in summary the Sovereign of the Universe, these revelations about God begin in the Old Testament with the patriarchs, continue through the Law, and on into the Prophets. All of these attributes of God help me in getting the right relationship of submission to God. It is not submission out of fear or being intimidated by the Almighty. My right relationship with God is perfectly revealed in Jesus; It is a relationship of a parent and child. It is a voluntary submission to authority because of the love, I have for my Father. It is by faith in Jesus, that I become spiritually born and join His family as an adopted son. This does not remove the other attributes of God, it only creates a personal affection between me, an adopted child and Him, my Father. This is the right relationship with God. Parent and child. Not equals.

It is true that the Bible also teaches me that God the Son, Jesus, is my friend. One who walks along side me in life. It also teaches me that Jesus became like me, human and frail. But unlike me, as God the Son, He was able to resist temptation overcoming sin and its consequence of death found in the grave. The only victory I have against these two foes, of sin and death, is the sacrifice of my Friend. The One who came along side me and took my place in punishment, so I could receive His reward of obedience. Greater love has no man, but he that lays down his life for a friend. But does that friendship include sharing in the suffering as well as the good times. Would I walk along side my friend on His way to the cross, or abandon Him? So if I like to think of God the Son, as my friend I must also consider that friendship is more than picnics on sunny days in the park. There are also the cold stormy evenings in the wilderness. But Jesus promised me, He would never leave me or forsake me whether in the feasts of picnics or the famines of the wilderness. So Jesus is my truest friend, but am I a true friend to Him? I can do all things through Christ. I can do nothing without Him.

Are Mormons Christians?

No.

(But they can be)

Final Part.
Part Four.  Biblical argument against Mormons being Christians.

I wish the only proof I would have to write to convince my brothers in Christ, members of the universal church (body of Christ), and my neighbors that Mormons are not Christians could come from the Bible.  But everyone does not trust in the words of the Bible.  They do not use it to define the words they speak.  Some do not even believe there should be a standard to define who a Christian is and that tolerance and acceptance of others should reign supreme (more on tolerance later, another topic).  I hold the bible to be the only trustworthy authority in all matters.  It is the complete revealed word of God.

One reason Mormons are not Christians is because of their belief about the authority of the bible.  The official doctrinal position of the LDS faith is not to accept the bible as being “translated correctly” (Article Eight of their Faith, www.lds.org, Articles of Faith).  So any proof or argument made from it according to their point of view may not be based on the true word of God additional revelation and knowledge is needed beyond the bible to obtain the truth.  So this appeal is more to my brothers in Christ those who hold the bible to be the authority and a call for them to refrain from expanding the tent of Christianity or the title of Christian to apply to our LDS neighbors.

They are distinct in their beliefs and as Christians we ought to be distinct in our beliefs.

Being able to call yourself a Christian in its simplest form depends on following Christ and not chasing down a false christ.  There is more to being a Christian than the definition of Who Christ is, but if this single point of doctrine differs then why are further proofs needed?  I am not going to cite all the Bible verses that point to the distinct differences between the concept of the LDS Christ and that of the Christ of Traditional Christian.  Only eleven words from the Bible are needed.  Apologetics of the LDS faith may need reams of paper or megabites of data to make the argument that they are Christians, but God only needs eleven words.  Again I believe in the power of God and in His words, not in the arguments of men. (Psalm 119; Hebrews 4:12, 2 Timothy 3:16-17)

“For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.” Colossians 2:9 (KJV, www.biblegateway.com)

This is a simple teaching of who Jesus is.  He is God.  There is one God and the Godhead lives within the physical body of Christ (Jesus).  This means that for God the Father and the Holy Spirit (Ghost) to reside in fulness within the body of Jesus, they would not possess their own physical body.  It does not confine God to only exist within the body of Jesus, but there is no physical division of God.  God is not spread into more than one physical body. (see also Hebrews 1:3) [If I am in error about this understanding of God, show me from the Bible were I am wrong? and I will humbly accept the correction.]

The First article of faith in the LDS faith states “We believe in God, the Eternal Father, in His Son Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.” (www.lds.org, Articles of Faith)  The definition of the Godhead for the LDS faith.  Again from the foundation of belief in the LDS faith based on the supposed first visitation (not vision) of God to Joseph Smith, jr.  He clearly states that there were personages (more than one) visiting him.  If that is true then How could the fulness of the Godhead in personages dwell in Jesus bodily? Personages can not dwell in the same Personage.  This difference by itself points to a different Christ (and a different God).

One Christ defined by the Bible and universally accepted by all who call themselves Christians.

Another false christ defined solely by a single man claiming to restore a lost gospel and the first leader of a people who should continue in their distinctiveness and remain “Mormons”. (Perhaps Brighamites is a better term, research the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day saints, www.utlm.org)

The real questions that might need some exploring begin with, “are Mormons Mormon?”  Do members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints follow the teachings of their prophets and the commands of their God? see my previous post.  Is there a unity of their faith?  Is the LDS faith on the verge of fracturing again? can practicing polygamists that believe in the Book of Mormon have the same right to self-given titles, can they call themselves Mormon because they differ in some of the current doctrine?

Back to the question at hand, Are Mormons Christians? By the nature of the Christ they follow they are not. But as one of my favorite public personalities who recently passed on Paul Harvey would point to “the rest of the story.”  Mormons are not Christians, but they can be.  Here is the rest of story.

If “Mormons” want to be called Christians the answer is simple.  Do not try to redefine a word to fit your beliefs or make a part-time outward swap of a title or name.  But call on the God of Heaven and Earth to make an inward change in your life and cast off the false Christ a personage in a Godhead and seek after the True and Living Resurrected Christ.

Read your bible, put your other books of scripture away.  I challenge every LDS to focus on reading your bible and only your bible for one year.  And see what picture it paints of Jesus, does he fit inside Mormon Doctrine?  I would argue that He does not.  Start with Psalm 119 to establish a new trust in the Bible and its words and then go from there.

Are Mormons Christians?

No.

Part Two.  Religion versus Relationship
(Comparison of Mormonism and Christianity)

When I boil Mormonism down to its barest from.  It is a religion of process.  The plan of salvation outlined by Mormon Theology is an eternal process which the God of Mormonism inherited from His God and some day faithful LDS Members will inherit from the God of Mormonism and then they can use that same eternal process on the worlds they create.

In this world the process looks like this–Faith, Baptism, Repentance, Holy Ghost, …(Sacred Temple Ordinances)…  The plan of salvation (Mormon’s call it the gospel) can best be described as a staircase to heaven.  If you climb each step you make it to celestial glory.  But since man is not perfect, but always striving for perfection, no one can actually climb all the way up but the truly faithful and obedient will get really, really close and then the Jesus of Mormonism will provided the balance due.  The Jesus of Mormonism provides for a limited atonement by his suffering in the garden, on the cross, and his death.  An atonement that is an earned wage–not a free gift.

Mormonism is self-centered.  It is a process of self to achieve Godhood.  The work of achievement is up the individual.  The Jesus of Mormonism came to show how to be perfect.  Mormons are to seek that same perfection by following the same process that Jesus did.  Then they will be perfect also.  Arguments may come from Mormons that they are all about Family.  Not really, Family is just another vehicle to propell self up the staircase.  In the end, It is Individual.  It is self-centered.

Christianity is not religion.  Christianity is not a process.  True Christianity is relationship.  The leader of Christianity, Jesus, when he walked on the dusty roads of Galilee and Judea taught the commandments, both are relational.  Love the Lord your God with all your might, and second Love your neighbor as yourself.  The relationship with God is pre-eminent in Christianity.  Christianity is God-centered.  Relationship that can only be restored by individual belief (faith, trust) in Jesus.  The relationship with God was broken because of rebellion by man.  Rebellion is sin.  Jesus alone is sufficient to restore that relationship by his death for all sin.  The work of salvation is all ready completed.  No further work is needed.

By faith in Jesus the believer is spiritually born, beginning his/her relationship with God.  Each believer begins their journey from far and wide locations there is no blue print to perfection.   [Yet the Bible is the handbook for the daily journey.]*  Jesus is the Light and true believers often called sheep hear their masters voice and walk toward Him.  He is the way and the Destination of Christianity.

Final Thoughts

I climbed some of those stairs on my way to the celestial glory by my strength and my power.  The process (Mormon plan of Salvation) is a tired and lonely climb.  So Mormonism is Me-ianity.

Then I saw the Light (Jesus) and trusted in Him got off that stairway to my glory and started seeking the glory of God.  God guides me one step at a time down the path.  Each step is a step of faith onward toward the light of Christ’s glory.  So Christianity is Christ-ianity.

*added to clarify that the bible contains God’s complete revealed word on both the relationship between God and man and between fellow men.

Are Mormons Christians?

No.

Part One. My appeal from my personal experience.

If you read my short biography to left you will note that I now identify myself a Christian.  In the simplist definition that means I am a disciple or follower of Jesus Christ.  The unifying figure of Christianity is Jesus.  The question is, Who is Jesus? From my personal experience, I was not able to be both a Christian and a Mormon.  I tried it for about a year, but it was not possible.  The more I read and studied the Bible and was taught by God.  The author of the Bible, I could no longer associate myself with the heretical teaching of Jesus that is proclaimed by the Mormon Faith.

Why ask this tired and overused question again?

Once again the deception machine of another Danite Mormon group has turned losed the most disingenuos web site I have seen to date.  It’s purpose is to study Christianity and convince its readers through whatever logical or emotional appeal it can,  patterned after the saying, “the ends justify the means,” to include the Mormon Church as simply another demonination of Christianity and just leave Mormons alone.  And allow then to call themselves whatever they want to be called.  It is a call for making the tent of Christianity warp and grow to include a group of heretics.

A line must be drawn.  Shall we allow for muslims to be called Christians as well, they believe in Jesus.  Does it matter that they only say he is a prophet.  Where will this nonsense of watering down words end?  Even the LDS joined the fight in California to maintain the definition of marriage yet now they fight to enlarge and expand the definition of Christianity to include their heretical teachings and beliefs.

I will never consider the LDS faith to be a part of Christianity.  I have lived my life as a Mormon and as a Christian, and those two lives are as different as night is from day.  One is black the other white.  They are opposites.

Chains of Authority

I have been reading the book, Spiritual Authority by Watchman Nee. Its main premise is that rebellion against the authority of God is the foremost sin committed and submitting to God’s authority in obedience reflects the love we have for God.  As with every book I read, I always read it through the lens of my past. It has helped me understand the importance of obedience to God, and also to His servants–including my church elders and pastors (still waiting for a teaching pastor, but with excited anticipation) and all my brothers and sisters in Christ. I have a much better grasp of what it means to be in submission one to another. This submission is an extension of the love we are to have for each other.

From my background with authority as a child I was taught according to the LDS faith, there are two articles of Faith from the LDS church that relate to authority, Article V and Article XII. Article V speaking to the point that a man must be called of God by someone in authority and in Article XII speaking on the submitting to earthly powers. Once I was born-again (spiritually awakened) I cut those chains of authority and replaced it with a direct link to Jesus, but as an immature Christian, there was no other authority in my life I thought I needed to be subject to. But as I continue to grow and have my mind transformed by Jesus–through the power of the Holy Spirit–I have come to view authority in a fresh and new way. It differs from my background from Mormon culture and my early transition in being a Christian.

In Mormon culture, there is a chain of authority that is traced through their priesthood. As a holder or partner of a husband that is a holder, you are subject to the authority of your priesthood quorum leader (an elder president if you are an elder, or stake president if you are high priest, or the bishop if you are a holder of the aaronic priesthood), then up the chain of other priesthood leaders all the way to the President of the Church. This chain does not only travel up through the ranks, but spans through past presidents of the church all the way back to Joseph Smith, jr. So everyone in the church, according to their beliefs are subject to the authority of Joseph Smith, jr. Who made claim to have received his priesthood from the hands of Peter, James, and John (These first apostles having received their authority from Christ). This is a long chain of authority to get back to God. No wonder LDS members are weighed down or held back in their souls. The chains of authority bind them from experiencing a personal relationship with the LORD God. Their connection to God is dependent on the chain.

I personally experienced the affects of this broken chain. There is no blame to be laid at anyones feet, It is the system that is flawed. When my father was excommunicated from the church, my chain was broken. This disturbed me. It got me thinking that if my father or the link right above me broke the link, then what if someone else in the chain also broke the link. I would no longer have a connection to the authority of God. This system burdens everyone in the chain and is why it is so hard for people to leave their families and it holds them captive, because of their guilt in not wanting to be the weak link. No wonder depression runs so deep in Mormon culture.

As a Christian, there is another chain of authority. It is a direct connection to Jesus, through faith, a chain with only two links, you and Jesus. This compares to the chain in Mormon Culture. The Christian chain is completely dependent on Jesus to sustain and hold it, your part is to be obedient to the authority of Jesus, your obedience is the outward manifestation of your inward faith. The Mormon chain can be broken by any of the leaders between a member and God, both in the present or from the past. If any link is found to be broken then the chain is broken. Within the bonds of the Christian link of authority the mercy, grace, and love of God hold it together. It may be hard thing to understand, but once connected to God nothing can break that link.

Romans 8:31-39 (NKJV)
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written:

“We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”

Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

As with many things in the Faith and Culture of Mormonism, they live and practice their religion in ways that are contrary to the written word of the Bible, an authority by God-infallible and innerent. The Prophet Isaiah spoke of this, when he declared the words of the LORD, “My ways are not your ways.” Mormon ways are not God’s ways.

Shadows of the Groundhog

It has been several weeks since I have written anything. Many topics have been filtering there way through my mind. Here are four that occupy some of my energy. They are pieced from four smaller entries, I almost deleted, but now have decided to publish together to honor the last six weeks of winter as predicted by a beloved rodent. I can relate to the groundhog shadows are terrifying things, (Psalm 23) The current story of my life is to wait for the spring a little longer. With the snow continuing to pile up, I am reminded that snow is nothing more than evidence of God’s storehouse and future provision of life (water) for us.

Ignoring a reformer.
Utah culture does not give praise to Martin Luther King, jr because of the influence of past Mormon theology.

In the state of Utah, for the Mormon majority, Martin Luther King, jr. is meaningless to its history or culture. It is why the State Legislature ignored the national holiday and began its session. It is why only recently the state even acknowledged his existence replacing their human right’s day. For one, He was a Black Christian pastor, in 1964, the LDS church still held their revealed truth that blacks were cursed by the sin and mark of Cain. In the 1960’s blacks had no right to the complete presence and glory of the Lord, especially a black pastor from one of the illegitimate daughters of corrupted catholicism.

They were only allowed to be dimly lit from afar by others. They were only allowed to pick up the crumbs from the white and delightsome race.

They could not hold the sacred priesthood or work out their salvation, as taught by the Mormon church. They were not even allowed to baptism each other into the church, only by the good works of their white brethren could they be ushered into the true church. It was only 10 years after the murder of Martin Luther King, jr that stubborn leaders of the church-among them the recently deceased Hinckley and now Monson- finally received new revelation from God, that the curse of Cain had ended and Blacks could once again after 5000 years of punishment be allowed to enjoy the full glory of God to worship him as priests.

Given another 20 years, perhaps the culture of Utah maybe ready to venerate the work that Martin Luther King, jr did to remind everyone what the bible teaches in Genesis that all men are created in the image of God; but it would then have to acknowledge at least in part the work of another reformer Martin Luther who challenged the universal church with the simple gospel that it is by faith in Jesus Christ not by working through a religious system that offers entrance into the Kingdom of heaven.

Praising a dead false prophet.
The end of last month brought the passing on the president of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Once again, I glanced at a piece of my former life. My life when I was blinded by my religious fervor. I listened as the sister of the dead false prophet give the final benediction for his life in a prayer. I was reminded of the unique doctrines of men that the LDS church has that are contrary to the words God has spoken.

In that short prayer, she praised the work of her dead brother and spiritual leader. She imagined him walking the halls of heaven with his eternal bride. It was not until the final ten or twelve words that God was even mentioned. It was her hope and faith that he was in a better place. It was her faith in the deeds of her brother that are not unlike her own that set him in his place of honor. It was only mere afterthought and habit to invoke the name of Christ, but only at the end.

This short prayer told me that the doctrine and fundamental belief of the LDS faith are the same as when I turned away from them a decade ago. That men are gods in training and their works gain them reward in the life here after. That Jesus is not the way; He is merely the ending of their own way. That philosophy alone reverses God’s way. Jesus is the author and finisher of anyone’s faith. He is the beginning, middle, and end of the pathway of faith that alone leads to presence of God.

Waiting upon the Lord.
Last spring when I learned that Lifeway was going to be beginning a new series of teachings to cover the breadth and width of the Bible. I asked God to grant me the privilege to teach from His Holy Scripture for the entire series. Six months later, I was given the news that my job was not going to be supported any longer. The current grant was not renewed and would expire.

I spent the weeks and months since then applying for jobs. The lowest point was around my birthday in October, when after hearing once again that “although you have many qualifications, we have decided to hire another candidate for this position, thank you for applying and good luck in future career”. In my heart I still knew that God wanted me to stay in Logan and continue to grow closer to him and to share (teach) the Bible to others. I applied for a job the first week of November to work as the new Geographic Information Specialist for North Logan City. My supervisor even helped me in writing my resume.

I recently interviewed for that position, but before I went into the interview my supervisor had called me about a possible position for me coming up early next year that would allow for me to continuing working on campus at Utah State University. During the course of the interview for the job working for North Logan city, I learned that one of my co-workers had also applied. And God whispered to me that this was not my job.

The next morning, I did something I had not done since I was LDS. I fasted (this was not a random thought, I had recently read a chapter in a book about 12 spiritual disciplines for men that was about fasting), it was not a long fast it was only for 6 hours, but I did no just skip breakfast and my morning snack at work; I was deliberate in having my hunger pains remind me of God presence and my prayer was for him to close and open doors of employment for me. The door slammed closed on that job, but the position that my supervisor had told me about was beginning to crack open more.

My continued prayer and for each day and especially Wednesday morning since then, when I fast and pray for God to open the door for me to get a job here in Logan that would last long enough for me to continue to teach the Bible to others as long as God wanted. Even if this job does not work out, I know that God will provide. I continue to have my strength rise as I wait upon the Lord.

Considering a new president.
This will be and has been the least productive thing that I spend energy on. But I can not stop considering the great dilemma I find myself in. I am a conservative. I have been since I first heard Rush Limbaugh’s radio show in 1988 (at age 14) I have not always listened to it, and recently I find myself spending more time listening to on-line bible sermons from oneplace.com, than listening to the guru of conservative radio. I do split with him on most all things related to God. He may be a Christian, but his speech lends him to be a leader of a political movement more than a devoted follower of Jesus.

Anyway, I can not and will not vote for Mitt Romney as the next president of the United States. The main reason is religion. He is Mormon. I will not place a Mormon in position of that much prominence that would place his church in a position to blind more people and snatch them away from the word of God-which is God’s special revelation about Jesus Christ. It is a matter of conscience.

On the other hand, Could I vote for Governor Huckabee simply because of religion? I am not sure. He would likely lead the nation about 90% of the way that I would like for it to run. But the United States of America is a secular state. Secular states needs secular leaders. I always feel uncomfortable when an America President has to make politically correct statements about other faiths or philosophies that I know are false. Again, I am uncomfortable putting fellow Christians in that position.

Also, I can also feel the pendulum of the pulse of America swinging from the conservative end of the spectrum back toward the liberal side. For me a liberal human secularist like Obama or even Hillary Clinton would do harm to the American culture and nation. That is why I stop in the center and currently support John McCain as the next president. It is the practical and logical choice for me. Not the one my heart would first pick, but an acceptable choice, when I factor and weigh every point and position.

Personally, I would like to see a constitutional amendment to protect marriage and to define it as a union between One man and One woman. I would like to see a constitutional amendment to protect the life of every unborn child, the only exception being the LIFE of the mother. I would also like to see strong action taken to secure the borders of our nation, with physical barriers, and the arrest and deportation of all illegal immigrants and the change of the the requirements to become a citizen, not allowing mothers do give birth to children that are automatically citizens. I understand these actions are harsh, but if America is going to be a nation of laws, we can not begin making exceptions for immigration, what is next, are we then going to have safe havens for pedophiles, rapists, drug abusers, when will it stop, It would not. The laws of the nation would then be meaningless.

Born Again Mormons

summary: Meeting someone in person and listening to them really changes past misconceptions or perceptions for the better sometimes. The internet can distort communication, but is still valuable in communicating.

…there may be a lot of errors in this entry, I will try to edit them out later, but I wanted to get this up tonight before bedtime…

First off, as much as I enjoy this medium of electronic communication of web logs and emails. They can misrepresent people unintentionally. Several years ago, I came across a book titled Born Again Mormons written by Shawn McCraney after browsing through the book and looking at his web page. I initiated contact with him over his tactic of having Mormons that became born-again (in the John 3 Biblical sense, also from Titus 3) to remain in the church and draw more members out with them in a grand hope to change the LDS church from within in a ground swell or a spark that would consume the entire church and “Christianize” it. When I say Christianize I mean to have it repudiate its false non-biblical teaching and reorganize itself into a biblical denomination. My opinion was that when any LDS are born-again they should run not walk to the nearest exit and plant themselves in a bible believing fellowship and surround themselves with other Christians. I also had a short squabble over the church infrastructure and its value. All this has now become water under the bridge.

This evening I was able to attend my home church and listen Shawn in person. There is no doubt that we both have grown in grace and have matured in Christ since those early disagreements. The one good thing about my past email conversations with Shawn was that he worked on his book some more and made a “second edition” or response book. This evening He graciously signed and gave me a copy. It is officially my second Christmas present. My wife bought me dinner on Saturday night at the Irongrill in Providence as my first present-the food there is good (If I can’t find a job anywhere else in Logan, I would love to apply as a cook there; this is another longer story). Any way, since I am partly responsible for causing Shawn to write the second book, I feel obligated to read it. It seems like it will be a good read. In fact, from what I have heard is sounds really similar to a book, I had thought or intended to write some day.

The most unusual thing about the electronic interchange we had years ago. That neither one of us is that way in a person to person meeting. He is a very likable and friendly person. Interestingly, before I left the church at age 22, from listening to him tell his conversion story it sounds like he was on the same road that I was just starting down. I am more amazed at his transformation and salvation than my own. I could have easily lived the same life that he did until he left the church. In the church I was always behind the mask of self righteousness in public, but in private I always knew that deep down I was nothing more than a filthy rag. I understand what he is doing and the method that he uses is the same method that contributed to my salvation. No one is a born-again Christian, in the sense that we all had a time in our lives that we did not have authentic faith and trust in Jesus. Some of us were blinded in work oriented religious systems, others in hedonistic lifestyles, or just plan denial of God. We are all lost and dead before Jesus dwells in our hearts. Our second birth or spiritual birth makes us Christian-adopted brothers and joint heir with Jesus to the Father.

The method of leading LDS out of their blindness using the only true Physician-Jesus (Matthew 9:12) to cure them, not to tear down their faith in God and organized religion. Jesus healed so many people from physical blindness the most famous the blind man from John chapter 9. He is also able to heal spiritual blindness. People that leave the church for those reasons often end up as worse off in the sense that they live a life of open sinful rebellion rather than the quiet sins of the heart that most Mormons endure. I did not leave the LDS church, I became saved and then gradually removed my affiliation with the LDS church. I spent some time searching for another traditional biblical church.

Surprisingly, I did not find one until I moved to Utah. There was some other factors, but contending doctrine to doctrine may have planted seeds, but my heart of stone did not crack from the pounding and contending for the faith that is much of evangelism. I know that it was a work that God alone did, and from many different mediums–interestingly one of those was the internet. In an indirect way, my wife was lead to salvation on-line and the transformation in her life was the deal closer that made me realized that Jesus, we read about Him and come to adore from the bible, even taught and revealed to some one on-line, not religion, is a great way to fish for and catch souls for God.

I finally saw the truth that organized religious systems would not save anyone. But that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. But most importantly He is my way, my truth, and my life. That is what Mormons lack-they know that Jesus is THE savior, but not that He is THEIR savior. and that They need him upfront and first, and that they only need him, they have nothing to add. It took me several years to learn this enough to have the courage to separate from the Mormon church.

No doubt leaving my entire family remains the most difficult part. I am in God’s family now–my ongoing pray is for the rest of my loved ones and family to also become part of God’s family. I pray for other Christians to placed in their lives, because my best witness now is to Live in Christ, because whenever I open my big mouth the conversation with them never ends well.

I was blessed to hear from Shawn tonight and to do my small part in getting the baptistery ready for a baptism tonight. I had a small moment to apologize to Shawn. He may not even remember it, but it was healing for me, because of the grief I may have caused him in the past over his first book. If only I had the same courage my wife did to publicly apologize for being a “Shawn” hater early on. Thanks be to a merciful God and for the mercy he pours onto all of us.

PS. I do plan to make a strong effort to drive down to Salt Lake City and do the hold the hands around the temple. I may even want to host one here in Logan, at the same time instead. That would be an even more powerful message. We’ll see…

More Edits, under the radar

Last night when I was browsing at a Borders book store, I took a minute and picked up and read the introduction to a new Book of Mormon, to my surprise my favorite phrase was missing. The one about the Bible containing the fullness of the gospel. If that is the case, that the LDS church no longer see the bible as containing the fullness of the gospel, then THEY need to amend their 8th Article of Faith and stop the deception that they claim to believe the bible is the word of God.

This deletion of removing the phrase that the Bible also contains the fullness of the gospel is much more significant than removing a single word of “primarily”. The other minor change just back peddles, but does not deny that Native Americans still have some of their origins from Jerusalem. This edit removes the bible and divorces the Book of Mormon from it. I can understand why. My conversion to Biblical Christianity came while I was still LDS and decided to focus my attention on only reading the bible for two years. God’s word does not return void. The Holy Spirit was able to really speak to me as I read the Bible without the taint of false scripture-like the Book of Mormon-clouding my mind. No wonder the leadership of the LDS faith want to emphasize false scripture that only tickles the mind rather than the true word of God which can also convict.

I suspect that these changes have been in the works for a while and given that God continues to open and reveal the subtle, but dark nature of the LDS Faith and also given the topics at the last general conference that seemed to emphasize the unique position of the church to offer the complete truth. A truth above and beyond mere traditional Christianity. A direct plea to tired and weary Christians, the deception of wolves moving into the flock to drag sheep away.

The belief of the LDS leaders and many of the faithful is that traditional Christianity is based more on the workings of Emperor Constantine and other “popes” that the original church founded by Jesus Christ would not last and be corrupted by men–ignoring the promise that God with us (Immanuel) made in Matthew 16. Their accusation only reinforces their own position that their church is a creation of Joseph Smith, jr. and NOT Jesus Christ. Their church is based on the doctrines of a men.

Traditional Christianity may sway back and forth in the wind, but a remnant of authentic believers have always been present on the earth since the Day of Pentecost. It may not have been in the “leadership” of the Faith, but the Holy Spirit speaks to more than just the leadership, All can hear and listen to God. As an example, a lowly monk named Martin Luther. There are many, many others both before and after him. The gates of Hell will not prevail against the church (body of authentic believers)–Matthew 16. The battle will wage on, but the enemies of God will not prevail.

The LDS need to tear into Emperor Constantine and his work in defining the true nature of God as One, because it contradicts their fundamental LDS belief in a pantheon of gods that continues to grow without end. God is the one and only God and He is one. (Deuteronomy 6:4) and this statement of belief by the Emperor is only a reflection of what the Bible all ready teaches. I never claimed that Constantine was a prophet of God come to restore lost doctrines, but only a champion to put down heretics and unite the faith with the fundamental belief about the nature of God, which all Christians accept, orthodox, catholic and protestant.

I will continue to tear into the Book of Mormon and ask every Mormon that thrashes against that doctrine of the nature of God to explain the opening words of Mosiah chapter 15, given by one of their precious past “prophets” Abinadi where he supposedly speaks of God being the Father and the Son and them being one. The Book of Mormon is sacred to Mormons and is the supposed words of God translated by Joseph Smith, jr. If Mosiah 15 is an error introduced by the frailties of men then what can be trusted within the pages of the Book of Mormon. It proves the point of Biblical Christianity that men are by nature corrupted by sin and that placing Faith in men is folly. The enduring Word of God-The Bible points us and shows that we need to place our Faith in Jesus alone.

Mosiah 15 Explained
When I was teenager, I asked a teacher of mine about these verses and the response I got used a bunch of $50 dollar words like, divine investiture of authority. What does that even mean? Well it was explained to me that God the Father made Jesus our Father so Jesus could continue His progression to become a God. It was explained that Father God is the literal father of our spirits and as Father God’s offspring we were given to Jesus and he then became our Father, because in order for Him to attain “Godhood” He needed to raise spirit children. This all had to be done before He could suffer for our sins in the Garden and on the Cross. This implies that the Mormon Father God has all ready created passed worlds and this one maybe his second or millionth go at making earths. What a complicated answer. The gospel is much more simple than that.

Jesus was always God from the beginning. John 1. He never needed to attain it. It is His nature. God, the Father is the father to Jesus. I do not completely understand it, nor can I explain. But it is true. My human reason can not fathom it, but my Spirit knows it. Mormon philosophy spends too much time trying to use human reason to explain spiritual truth, when it can not be done.