False Teachings of the Mormon Church
Joseph Smith Venerated
Selected Writing of Daniel H. Ludlow: Gospel Scholars Series, pg. 488; “Elder Neal A. Maxwell suggested that the word venerate might be appropriate for Joseph Smith: “The Prophet Joseph Smith, of course, was not a perfect man. There has been only one such—Jesus Christ. But Joseph Smith was a special witness for Jesus Christ. . . . We do not, as some occasionally charge, worship Joseph Smith, nor place him on a par with Jesus. But we do venerate him, remembering, hopefully that the highest and best form of veneration is emulation.””
1 Corinthians 2:2; “For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.”
Venerate: “to regard or treat with reverence; revere”.
Emulation: “imitation of another”.
Would you venerate a murderer or thief?
Would you try to emulate a liar or sinner?
Where is the Lord Jesus in any of this?
We can admire someone for who they are or what they’ve done in life, but admiring someone is far different from emulating them! As the Apostle Paul said we as Christians, should only be trying to know more of Jesus!
I pray you share this with a Mormon this week. Explain the difference in admiring someone and venerating them. Only Jesus is worthy of our adoration!
With Love in Christ; Michelle
Michelle, I’m sorry that you have missed the meaning of Neil Maxwells words. You ask “Where is the Lord Jesus in any of this?” and I quote “The Prophet Joseph Smith, of course, was not a perfect man. There has been only one such—Jesus Christ. But Joseph Smith was a special witness for Jesus Christ…” So yes, I would like to “venerate” Joseph Smith and emulate him as well, if I could stand as a witness for Jesus.
Thank you!!
Dana – I would love to be as good as a witness and have the same impact on the world as Paul did…
Just because one says they are a witness of Jesus Christ, doesn’t mean they are a witness of the TRUE Jesus Christ.
When you talk to people or witness to people, do you tell them about Jesus or the LDS church?
If you do talk about Jesus, do you tell people that He was born to our Heavenly Father and Mother in pre-existence, is the spirit brother of Lucifer, or about His plan of salvation as opposed to Satan’s and that the white people born fought on Jesus’ side and the black people born here were “nuetral” during the war in heaven, that Jesus was married to mulitple wives, that He had to attain His godhood by going through all that He did on earth, that Jesus paid for our sins in the Garden and not the cross, that “the Word made flesh” couldn’t or wouldn’t make sure that His Word was kept complete and intact, that His church failed to “continue running the race” and were all apostate and decietful, etc.
If you talk about the LDS church, do you tell people that “there is no salvation outside the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints”, that “all other churches in Christendom are destitute of any authority and any of them that perform baptisms or the Lord’s supper highly offends God”, “that all supposed Christian churches (both Catholic and Protestant) are nothing less than the whore of Babylon”, that before 1890 the LDS church taught and practiced that men could only become Gods if they practiced polygamy, that the church is just biding it’s time waiting for Christ to reinstitute plural marriage, that men old enough to be grandfathers (prophets and apostles included) married and had “relations” with girls in their pre/early teens as a commandment from God, that you hold everything Joseph Smith wrote higher than the Bible, baptism for the dead, temple practices, etc.
When I gave my heart to Jesus and asked Him to be my Lord and Savior… That was it, nothing was hidden and all things were revealed to me… in other words;
I am a sinner – Jesus came to pay for my sins – If I put my trust in Him and follow Him, I will receive the GIFT of eternal life… I know, it sounds too simple… but Jesus even said that we have to come to Him as a little child. It’s all about faith and it is a free gift of God!!! Not by works, so no man can boast.