How Mormons Lured Christians Away from a ‘Perverted’ Christianity

27 July

1 Corinthians 15:1-4 “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; 2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. 3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures”.

byu_studiesIn all the years I’ve dealt with Mormonism, one important thing I’ve learned is that many crucial elements needed to take place in order for the Church to be where it is now. Our lesson today shows four key pieces of how this happened.

The other day I came upon an article that helped add to the dimension of how Mormonism came to be. The article, written by Gordon Irving, appeared in the 1973 BYU Studies papers, and to say it was revealing would be a gross understatement!

Mr. Irving outlined four ‘polemic tools’ (as he phrased it) Mormons used to entice Christians away from the body of Christ.

At the very core of who I am, I believe this is vitally important to look at because we can use the information to remind us how the evil one works.

During the early nineteenth century Americans were hungry for more knowledge about early Christianity. The one thing they felt vitally important was for the church to go back to its roots. Stemming from the popularity of this theory, restoration churches became all the rage from one end of the burgeoning country to the other, giving rise to the many churches in early America.

It was at this time Joseph Smith, being the observant opportunist, believed he was just the guy to lead people to what Christianity once was. Smith may have been uneducated, but it didn’t mean he was stupid. Building on what he knew from life experiences, he utilized Christian parlance when selling his ideas on how original Christianity operated. And thus, Mormonism was given birth to in 1830.

I’ve listed the key portion of Mr. Irving’s article below, along with the link if you’d like to read it in full. He lists the four main elements of what society was searching for at that time in American history when it came to early Christianity.

His summation at the end is what caught my attention when he said,

‘Three of these four themes were polemical tools in the Mormon struggle to win converts away from the “perverted” forms of Christianity…’

It’s stunning when you see it with 20/20 hindsight, and reminds me of Walter Martin’s warning, ‘The cults are the unpaid bills of Christianity’.

Let us not have any other unpaid bills!

The Mormons and the Bible in the 1830s by Gordon Irving BYU Studies, vol. 13 (1972-1973), Number 4 – Summer 1973, p. 483

“(1) Primitive Church Pattern. Most often scripture was used to show the pattern for the proper organization and basic doctrines which characterize the church of Christ with special emphasis on the doctrines of faith in Christ, repentance, baptism, and the gift of the Holy Ghost, as well as the spiritual gifts which are bestowed upon the faithful. The scriptural pattern, as understood by the Latter-day Saints, was seen to be identical with their own church polity. Passages asserting that there is only one true pattern for church and gospel were used frequently to enhance the authority of Mormonism as well as to challenge other systems of Christianity.

(2) Apostasy and Restoration. The New Testament was employed to show that an apostasy from the true church of Christ and a subsequent restoration of the gospel to mankind had been foreseen by Jesus and his apostles. The greater emphasis was placed on the theme of apostasy, as it provided the raison d’ etre for Mormon restorationism. The New Testament was also seen as calling members of the true church to take the message of the restored gospel to all peoples, as well as predicting that they could expect to be hated and persecuted for doing so.

(3) Millennialism. Mormons also used frequently those New Testament passages dealing with the second coming of Christ and the end of the world. Not only were the “signs of the times” referred to, but Mormon editors, especially W. W. Phelps, often cited contemporary news stories as evidence that the signs foretold by Jesus had appeared. Passages relating to the resurrection and the respective rewards of the wicked and the faithful were also often cited.

(4) Uniformity of the Gospel. While Mormon logic dictated that the existence of a church set up by the Son of God meant that such a church should be the pattern for Christ’s church through all time, other elements of the New Testament were also emphasized to demonstrate that the gospel had always been the same. The Latter-day Saints were fond of using Pauline passages which suggest that the Christian faithful are adopted into the Old Testament House of Israel, and that Christ will reign over Israel. Passages implying that Old Testament prophets and patriarchs knew of Jesus Christ and his gospel were often quoted, as were others asserting that the Church had fulfilled the messianic predictions of the Hebrew prophets.

Three of these four themes were polemical tools in the Mormon struggle to win converts away from the “perverted” forms of Christianity found in other churches. The idea that there was a set form that Christianity should follow, that mankind had deviated from that pattern, and that the gospel in past times had followed the New Testament norm prescribed by Mormon writers were all scriptural defenses of the Mormon claim to be the true church of Christ and the only earthly vehicle of salvation. Mormons aimed these New Testament arguments at a world deeply impressed by the authority of the Bible. That the challenge to other religions was a powerful one is indicated in part by the conversion of so many Bible-reading Americans to Mormonism, as well as by the violent opposition to the new church on the part of many American Protestants.”

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2 Responses to “How Mormons Lured Christians Away from a ‘Perverted’ Christianity”

  1. Sue James July 27, 2016 at 12:34 am #

    You sure find them, Michelle! What great research. To see that their own BYU prints this is amazing. Thanks!

    • LifeAfter July 27, 2016 at 5:32 am #

      Thanks for your encouraging words Sue! It’ll never cease to surprise me at how evil this is and how easy it is to just brush it aside. The tragedy in knowing how they trick people is very, very sad.

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