Terminology

MORMON TERMINOLOGY

One of the most commonly asked questions I’ve received over the years is the request for help in witnessing to a Mormon friend or relative.  The first thing the born-again Christian has to understand is that they are speaking a different Christian language than the Mormon.  The words that we’re comfortable with knowing from the Bible are totally different from what the Mormon understands them to be.

 

When I got out of the Mormon Church and asked Jesus to be my only Savior the subject of the unique Mormon vocabulary began a life-long study for me.  It took me roughly five years to root out all of the incorrect English from the depths of my soul and this was done through the patience of my close friends gently correcting me, listening to and answering thousands of questions from me and of course the Lord’s promptings for me to dig deeper!  Not long after I got out I had to accept the fact that at the age of 30 every single thing I knew to be true in life was indeed a lie, including my native tongue.  Understanding this one huge fact helped me to unravel all the lies and helped give me the clearness of mind that I so desperately needed.  I want to make it perfectly clear though, that none of this would have been possible had it not been for the mercy of Jesus and the incredible gift He gave to me!

 

Because of all this, I have listed just a few of the words that were confusing to me when I got out.  I have found that in the last 12+ years this is actually true for all the other ex-Mormons I have encountered.  This list is not nearly complete but will continue to grow throughout the rest of my life.  From the bottom of my heart I sincerely pray that the Mormon will look at the simple comparisons and then go to the God of the Bible to ask for direction.

 

Adam

 

“Now hear it, O inhabitants of the earth, Jew and Gentile, Saint and sinner! When our father Adam came into the garden of Eden, he came into it with a celestial body, and brought Eve, one of his wives, with him. He helped to make and organize this world. He is MICHAEL, the Archangel, the ANCIENT OF DAYS! about whom holy men have written and spoken—HE is our FATHER and our GOD, and the only God with whom WE have to do.”   Sermon given by Brigham Young on April 9, 1852 in Salt Lake City, Journal of Discourses, 1: 51.

 

 

“The first man placed upon the earth was a perfect being, a son of God. He was Michael, the Archangel, who had reached great distinction and power before he ever came to this earth; and who helped to frame this earth while he was yet a spirit, just as our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ was a spirit before he was born in Bethlehem.”  Doctrines of Salvation, vol. 1: 90.

 

 

The Bible says this about Adam in Genesis 2:7; “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”

 

Daniel 7:9, 13, 22; “I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.”

“I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.”

“Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.”

 

Ancient of days is Jesus Christ, The Messiah.  The Hebrew word Ancient is ‘attiyq’.  It means just what it says; ancient.  The Hebrew word for days is ‘yom’.  It means time, or day by day.  He lived before time was; He lived during the space of time and will reign after time is done.

 

It is pure blasphemy to say that the Ancient of days is Adam and/or Michael the archangel.

 

African Americans/Priesthood

 

This one topic was the catalyst for my personal exodus from the Church.  Half of my family is considered ‘Black Welsh’.  While this may not seem such a big deal to the non-Mormon it is huge for those of us who are/were dark while being a Utah Mormon.  There is nothing worse than being considered ‘dark and loathsome’ and being Mormon at the same time.

 

In June of 1978 the Prophet Spencer W. Kimball announced to the world that he received a revelation from God.  For 148 years the Church had taught their followers that the blacks had been born under the curse of Cain here on earth because of their unrighteous deeds in the pre-existence.  Supposedly during the war in the pre-existent heaven the spirits were divided.  One-third sided with Lucifer, one-third was neutral and the rest sided with Jesus.  The other story says that one-third sided with Lucifer and was cast down, and the rest of the spirits sided with Jesus; and of the two-thirds that remained there were some that were more valiant than others.  In the 1966 version of Mormon Doctrine it states:

 

“Negroes in this life are denied the priesthood; under no circumstances can they hold this delegation of authority from the Almighty.  (Abra. -27.)  The gospel message of salvation is not carried affirmatively to them (Moses 7:8, 12, 22).”  Pg. 527

 

 

It goes on to say:

“The present status of the negro rests purely and simply on the foundation of pre-existence.  Along with all races and peoples he is receiving here what he merits as a result of the long pre-mortal probation in the presence of the Lord.”  Pg. 527

 

 

Because of statements such as these it qualifies itself for two false prophecies.  One-this is a false prophecy because the Church authorities changed their minds in 1978.  Prophecies given by all preceding prophets about the curse are now negated. Deut. 18:20-22. 

 

Two-it qualifies as another false prophecy because it goes against scripture in that it suggests that God changed His mind and this is impossible.  Mal. 3:6.

 

Anti-Mormon

 

“Anti-Mormonism includes any hostile or polemic opposition to Mormonism or to the Latter-day Saints, such as maligning the founding prophet, his successors, or the doctrines or practices of the Church.”  Encyclopedia of Mormonism, 45.

 

 

It doesn’t matter to the Mormon where the information against them comes from.  If you argue with them or disagree in the slightest you are considered an ‘anti’.  In the June 1946 edition of the Improvement Era Magazine published by the Mormon Church it says; “When the leaders speak, the thinking has been done”.  I can assure the reader this is an insult to anyone who has a thinking brain. 

 

There are indeed many websites and/or ‘ministries’ out there that do attack the Church for the sake of attacking; and for every one ‘bad ministry’ out there we have seen others that are reliable and good.  They have been called by God to contend for the faith as spoken of in Jude 3.  We provide the truth to the Mormon through careful examination of Mormon publications.  We do not need to be grandiose in our presentations or try to ‘expand’ the truth for the ‘truths’ from the LDS teachings are grandiose in and of themselves.  Joseph Smith stated that “facts are stubborn things”.  I can only wonder why he’d make such a statement.

 

Apostasy

 

“Latter-day Saints believe that apostasy occurs whenever an individual or community rejects the revelations and ordinances of God, changes the gospel of Jesus Christ, or rebels against the commandments of God, thereby losing the blessings of the Holy Ghost and of divine authority…Joseph Smith in his first vision (1820) was told by Christ that all existing churches had gone astray, both in their teachings and in their practice, although they had “a form of godliness” (JS-H 1:18-19). Thus it was necessary for a “restoration” of the gospel to take place.”  Encyclopedia of Mormonism, 56.

 

 

The Church goes on to say; “Since truth is always in harmony with itself, and since all true saints “speak the same thing,” have “no divisions” among them, and are “perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment” (1 Cor. 1:10-13), it follows that where there are divisions and contention there apostasy is present.”  Mormon Doctrine, 45.  Interestingly enough, the introduction to this part of the section under apostasy also lists God as a spirit, Christianity, Sign of the Cross and Easter as just a few of the descriptions of apostasy.

 

 

In other words, the entire earth had become darkened in their theology and God’s spirit was no longer upon the face of the earth, thus the need to change the rules of Christianity.  Smith may say that Christ told him there was ‘a form of godliness’, however there isn’t one single thing in the Mormon Church that is similar, theologically speaking, to the Christian church today or in 1820.  This theory also makes Jesus out to be a liar in John 14:23-6 and also throughout the hundreds of other scriptures when He claims that He is the same yesterday, today and forever.

 

Apostate

 

“Apostates sometimes become enemies of the Church. Leaving the Church, which claims to be God’s official church, containing the fulness of the gospel, often results in feelings of guilt. While many return, others develop a need to defend their actions, “disprove” the Church, or become hostile enemies. The fruits of apostasy are generally bitter….LDS scriptures establish a loving and hopeful attitude toward apostates. Latter-day Saints are strongly counseled to love those who have left the faith, and to encourage, plead, and work with those who have strayed, inviting “the lost sheep” back to the fold (Luke 15:3-7).”  Encyclopedia of Mormonism, 59.

 

 

Nothing could be further from the truth in regards to their attitude towards those who disagree with them.  The apostate is considered to be a hostile enemy and looked upon with scorn and disdain.  There have been hundreds of people who have left the Church and accepted Jesus into their hearts only to lose their jobs, homes and even their families.  This isn’t something that is conjured up in the mind of the author or the other apostates, but it is factual with recorded instances of their personal experiences. 

 

Interestingly enough the Muslims also have a certain term for all those that go against Mohammad; they refer to them as ‘infidels’.  And just for the record, there is not a shred of guilt in me, only freedom!

 

 

Authority

 

“The claim of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to be the only true and living church on the earth is centered on the concept of authority. The LDS belief has been well stated by President Joseph F. Smith: “As to the question of authority, nearly everything depends upon it. No ordinance can be performed to the acceptance of God without divine authority.  Authority is a divine commission or calling from God….The name given to this kind of authority in the scriptures is priesthood (Heb. 7:11-12, 14, 24; 1 Pet. 2:5, 9; D&C 84:107).”  Encyclopedia of Mormonism, pg. 88.

 

 

Jesus told everyone in Matthew 28:18-20; “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”

 

He didn’t make exceptions to the ‘who, what, where, when and why and how’.  He simply said, ‘go’.  He also stated that He would be with us unto the end of the world.  Three things come to mind with this:  either Jesus lied, He was wrong or He gave us authority.  The latter is what is consistent throughout the whole of the Bible.  Someone once said that “the great omission of the Great Commission is not obeying”.

 

Child of God

 

The Mormon believes they are the literal offspring of God.  They believe that in the pre-existence they were spiritually begotten through a sexual union of Heavenly Father and a Heavenly Mother.  They believe that all spirits, Jesus and Lucifer included, are literally brothers and sisters thus making us all a child of God.

 

Have the Mormon think about the following:

 

If it were true that we were all created before we came here to earth, then why does the Bible state that we must become children of God?

 

 

If Mormonism is correct and we were born before we came here to earth, then why didn’t Nicodemus ask Jesus if we needed to be born a third time?  Instead, Nicodemus asked Jesus if he needed to be born a second time.   More importantly in this passage is Jesus’ response.  He said that we must be born of the spirit, intimating that this hadn’t taken place yet.  You can read this in John 3:1-15.

 

 

“Intelligences were organized before the world was, and among these were many great and noble ones, such as Abraham and Moses. God stood in their midst, saw that they were good, and chose them for responsibilities on earth and throughout eternity (Abr. -23). Jesus, the firstborn spirit, was preeminent among them. “Jesus…existed with the Father prior to birth in the flesh; and…in the pre-existent state He was chosen and ordained to be the one and only Savior and Redeemer of the human race” (JC, p. 6).”  Encyclopedia of Mormonism, pg. 1124.

 

 

“The Apostle Paul told the Athenians on Mars’ Hill that “we are the offspring of God.”…The Lord has declared that “the spirit and the body are the soul of man.” It is the spirit which is the offspring of God…God Himself is a soul, composed of a spirit and of a body of flesh and bones, as tangible as man’s…The spirits of all men are literally His “begotten sons and daughters.””  Thomas S. Monson, An Invitation to Exaltation, pg. 3.

 

 

The Greek word for adoption is: huiothesia.  The transliteration means the placement as a son in respect to God.  This has to be one of the most important words in the entire Bible.  To understand how we become sons and daughters of God it’s imperative to understanding how it all fits together from the book of Genesis to last word of John in Revelation.

 

Romans 8:15-6; “For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.  The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.”

 

Christian/Christianity

 

In this particular section of Mormon Doctrine it says the following about Christianity: 

 

“…CHRIST, CHRISTIANS, DISPENSATIONS. Christianity is the religion of the Christians. Hence, true and acceptable Christianity is found among the saints who have the fulness of the gospel, and a perverted Christianity holds sway among the so-called Christians of apostate Christendom. In these circles it is believed and taught that Christianity had its beginning with the mortal ministry of our Lord. Actually, of course, Adam was the first Christian…”  Mormon Doctrine, pg. 132.

 

 

It is easy to see where their hatred towards the body of Christ comes from.  This type of belief system towards Jesus’ followers has been around since the inception of Christianity circa 30 AD.  In addition to all the garbage of hatred that spews from their teachings, it is ridiculous to believe that Adam was a Christian.  The Book of Mormon is replete with the following example of their ideas of the Christian church: 

 

1 Nephi 14:9-10; “And it came to pass that he said unto me: Look, and behold that great and abominable church, which is the mother of abominations, whose founder is the devil.  And he said unto me: Behold there are save two churches only; the one is the church of the Lamb of God, and the other is the church of the devil; wherefore, whoso belongeth not to the church of the Lamb of God belongeth to that great church, which is the mother of abominations; and she is the whore of all the earth.”

 

 

“There can be no fellowship between Mormon and Christian. They cannot exist under the same social system. They cannot be partners in political power.”  Journal of Discourses, 2: 207.

 

 

One of the main things that kept me in the Church for 30 years was verses like the ones I’ve listed here.  In no way did I want to be known as a whore!  To me this was one of the worst things I could have been called.  This type of teaching had been so ingrained into me throughout my childhood that I could not distinguish that I was a separate individual, unique and wonderfully made.  It was either all or nothing in my mind.  I was part of the ‘elite’ being a Mormon or I was a whore.  When anyone witnesses to the Mormon it is helpful to remind them that they are not the Church.  Always ask them for their first name as this is how we are all identified.

 

The very first thing I had to do as a Christian was to ask God to forgive me for the hatred that I had inside of me towards all non-Mormons.  I have yet to adequately articulate the real feelings I felt inside towards the body of Christ, but knew that I didn’t want it inside of me any longer.  The feelings were dark and vehemently displayed whenever a true Christian asked me anything about the Church.  God, in His infinite mercy towards me gave me that forgiveness and I have enjoyed a sweetness to life that I had never experienced before then!

 

1 John 3:14-5 says that we have a way to see who is saved and who is not:

 

“We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.  Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.”

 

These two verses aren’t talking about whether or not you like your mother-in-law or even your spouse!  This is directly speaking about the body of Christ.  Do you love the body of Christ, even as He loves you?  Or do you find that you are better than they are, that you have an added bonus of something special that the rest of the body doesn’t?

 

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

 

Doctrine and Covenants 1:30; “And also those to whom these commandments were given, might have power to lay the foundation of this church, and to bring it forth out of obscurity and out of darkness, the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth, with which I, the Lord, am well pleased, speaking unto the church collectively and not individually.”

 

 

“The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is distinguished from other Christian churches in several fundamental ways. Most of these differences stem from the Church’s essential belief in continuing revelation…They accept the calling of modern prophets and apostles, beginning with Joseph Smith, and continuing to the present… Latter-day Saints emphasize religious freedom and tolerance.”  Encyclopedia of Mormonism, 277.

 

 

As you can see here it is understood that God only speaks to you (and only corporately) if you are a member of the One and Only True Church, that being the LDSChurch.  The outside world is a scary place if you dare step outside of their prescribed ‘truth’.  To the members of the LDS Church your eternal life is at stake if you are not a Mormon.  In modern day Mormonism they are going out of their way to blend in with mainstream Christianity so pay careful attention to the wording of this last quote.  It is their way of saying they are vastly different from the historical view of Bible based Judeo-Christianity and at the same time emphasizing that you should be tolerant of their views.

 

 

Creation

 

The book of Moses in the Pearl of Great Price is the account of the creation.  Moses 2:1-31 is much like the account of the creation as told in the Bible.  Now if we skip over to Abraham chapters 4 and 5 in the Pearl of Great Price we see an entirely different story of the creation.  Here it tells the Mormon that the ‘Gods’ created the earth and then created man.  This is just one example of how the Mormons became confused.

 

Now if you are a bookworm the following may (or may not) interest you.  If you aren’t the bookworm type then let me summarize this section for you in advance.  Smith changed the meanings and the spellings of the Hebrew words for beginning, God, without form, void and created.  The reason I’ve chosen to expound in this area is for two purposes.  The first is because I’m highly repulsed by Smith’s flagrant disregard for the Word of God and his hatred towards God Himself.  The second reason is for every Mormon missionary out there.  When they come knocking on your door, they like to use Smith’s ‘revelation’ of how the creation story should have been translated.  To that I say; yes, let’s take a good look at what it really says.

 

The Bible says in Genesis 1:1-2; “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.  And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.”

 

Now let’s take a side by side look of those first two verses in the English and Hebrew before we get into Smith’s translation.

The Encyclopedia of Joseph Smith’s Teachings, pg. 151 says;

“In the translation [referring to Genesis 1:1-2], “without form and void” it should read, “empty and desolate.” The word “created” should be formed or organized. (Joseph Smith, The Words of Joseph Smith, p. 60).”

 

 

He then goes on to translate some Hebrew for us by stating:

 

“…Now, the word create came from the word baurau, which does not mean to create out of nothing; it means to organize; the same as a man would organize materials and build a ship. Hence we infer that God had materials to organize the world out of chaos—….Element had an existence from the time He had… They had no beginning and can have no end…”

 

 

As you can see, Smith should have used a dictionary…read on to see how he outright lied to the people about God, the Bible and translations:

 

“I want to analyze the word Berosheit [in Genesis 1:1]. Rosh, the head; Sheit, a grammatical termination. The Baith was not originally put there when the inspired man wrote it, but it has been since added by an old Jew. Baurau signifies to bring forth.”

Ask the Mormon which ‘old Jew’ added to the scripture.  This is where I challenge the Mormon to really think for themselves!  Ask them the five ‘W’s and an H’.  Smith continues to make it worse as he goes on to say the following about God:

 

Eloheim is from the word Eloi, God, in the singular number; and by adding the word heim, it renders it Gods. It read first, “In the beginning the head of the Gods brought forth the Gods,” or, as others have translated it, “The head of the Gods called the Gods together.” . . .”

 

 

His explanation of the word elohim is a lie through and through.  The Bible says in Genesis that God created the earth.  It says nothing of some council of gods or the head of the gods concocting a plan.  Smith’s utter disdain for the Holy Omnipotent God can be clearly seen from his choice of words he employs here.  The word elohim means the fullness or the deity of God; in other words, the Trinity.  Additionally, the root word for elohim is ‘el’.  It means strength, mighty, and power.  Eloi means the supreme Divinity but it is not used in the first verse of the Bible.  You can find it in Mark 15:34.

 

For anyone living back in the 1830’s, a foreigner to the United States, uneducated and alone in a foreign country it is easy enough to see why people would be confused.  Goodness it’s easy enough for me to get confused living in the twenty-first century with the added benefit of technology today!  All this to say that I’m not a Hebrew or Greek scholar at all!  I have never professed to be and would be remiss if I didn’t tell everyone that I rely heavily on my Strong’s Concordance, Vine’s Expository Dictionary and various other Lexicons that I have at my fingertips.  I do know enough however to trust God Almighty, look up the meaning of a word and take the reputable scholars’ word for it that they know what they’re doing. 

 

 The Fall

 

Mormons believe the fall of Adam was a “necessary step in the eternal progression of mankind” (Encyclopedia of Mormonism, 485).  They believe that is was planned in advance by God himself, 2 Nephi , otherwise Adam and Eve would not have been able to fulfill the law of bringing forth children.   They also believe they ‘will be punished for their own sins and not for Adam’s transgressions’, 2nd Article of Faith.  The book of Alma says that it was the will of the Father that Adam would sin to fulfill the spiritual and temporal deaths of mankind.  Alma 42:6-12, and D&C 29:40-2.

 

“…behold, if Adam had not transgressed he would not have fallen, but he would have remained in the garden of Eden. And all things which were created must have remained in the same state in which they were after they were created; … (2 Nephi .)  Now, why would this be the case? Because they were in the presence of God, and there could be no death on the earth.”

 

 

“…That by reason of transgression cometh the fall, which fall bringeth death. …” Transgression did not directly bring death; the fall brought death. In other words, Adam transgressed, and through transgression he severed himself from God’s presence, and when he did, the fall brought death.”  Hyrum L. Andrus, Distinct Doctrines and Teachings of thePearl of Great Price, 80.

 

 

The Bible says that Adam transgressed (sinned) and immediately God sent Adam and Eve out of His presence.  Gen. 3:23.  Ro. says that through transgression came death but through the death of Jesus, who took our transgression, became our eternal life.  Further into the chapter, verse 19, it says that through Adam’s disobedience we were all made sinners. 

 

This is one of the biggest lies of all in Mormonism.  To teach that the transgression didn’t directly bring death is to be sitting in that garden with Adam and doing the same thing he did!  Remember loved ones; there is nothing new under the sun…Ecc. 1:9.

 

Gentile

 

To the Mormon a Gentile is anyone who is not a Mormon, this includes the Jews.

 

“Having in mind the principle that Gentiles are adopted into the lineage of Israel when they accept the gospel, and that those who fail to believe the truths of salvation (no matter what their lineage) lose any preferential status they may have had, it is not inappropriate in our day to speak of members of the Church as Israelites and unbelievers as Gentiles.”  Mormon Doctrine, pg. 311.

 

 

“For Latter-day Saints, “Gentile” generally means “not Latter-day Saint,”.”  Encyclopedia of Mormonism, pg. 541.

 

 

I asked a good friend of mine who is a Jewish believer how she felt about the statement that she is considered a Gentile by the Mormon Church.  The look on her face said it all as she turned around and walked away without saying a word…

 

 

 

Godhead/Trinity

There are billions of gods in Mormonism, but they deal with three primary figures in their ‘godhead’.  There is God the Heavenly Father, his son after the manner of the flesh; Jesus, and the Holy Ghost.  D&C 130:22 says that God and Jesus both have bodies of flesh and bones but the Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones but is a personage of spirit.  Mormons believe that God was once a man like we are now and passed through his own school of learning and became perfect in order to become a god himself.  This is also why Jesus came here to this earth; to do as his own father did.  Gospel Through the Ages, pg. 104-5, 114. 

 

The Bible says that God is One; Deut. 6:4, John .  Is not a man; Hosea 11:9.  There is no other Savior; Isaiah 43:10-11, 1 Tim. 2:5.  Jesus is God; John 8:58 & Ex. 3:14.  He’s always been God; Mal. 3:6, John 1:1, 14.  Holy Spirit is God; Isaiah 9:6, John , 1 John 5:7.

 

 

God – Heavenly Father/elohim

As stated before, the Mormon god is an exalted man. 

 

Hyrum L. Andrus said this in his book God and Man in Eternal Union, pg. 1; “The revelations of Joseph Smith support this view. “If the veil were rent today, and the great God who holds this world in its orbit, and who upholds all worlds and all things by his power, was to make himself visible,” the Prophet said, “you would see him like a man in form—like yourselves in all the person, image, and very form as man.””

 

 

“That which is without body or parts is nothing. There is no other God in heaven but that God who has flesh and bones. John 5:26, “As the Father hath life in himself, even so hath he given the Son to have life in himself.” God the Father took life unto himself precisely as Jesus did. (Joseph Smith, The Words of Joseph Smith, p. 60; standardized).”  Joseph Smith, Encyclopedia of Joseph Smith’s Teachings, pg. 290.

 

 

“We believe in a God who is Himself progressive, whose majesty is intelligence; whose perfection consists in eternal advancement—a Being who has attained His exalted state by a path which now His children are permitted to follow… In spite of the opposition of the sects, in the face of direct charges of blasphemy, the Church proclaims the eternal truth: “As man is, God once was; as God is, man may be.”   James E. Talmage, Articles of Faith, pg. 390.

 

 

I grew up being taught that calling my Heavenly Father by the name “Elohim” was to give him the utmost respect.  The Mormon’s definition of Heavenly Father is as follows:

 

“Elohim is the plural of the Canaanite El or the Hebrew Eloah; consequently, its literal meaning is Gods. Accordingly, as the Prophet pointed out, such Old Testament passages as, “In the beginning God (Elohim) created the heaven and the earth” (Gen. 1:1), should more properly be translated, “In the beginning the head of the Gods brought forth the Gods,” and they created the heavens and the earth. (Teachings, pp. 370-371.)”  Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, 224.

 

 

As you can well imagine the Mormon interpretation of this is mixed with truth and outright lies.  The Bible says there are three definitions of the word elohim; here are some scriptural examples of where you can find these definitions in context from the real experts.

 

Genesis 1:26a; “And God said, Let us make man in our image…”  The word ‘us’ here is elohim.  The transliteration for the word is the fullness or the deity of God.

The next example of elohim:

1 Samuel 28:13; “And the king said unto her, Be not afraid: for what sawest thou? And the woman said unto Saul, I saw gods ascending out of the earth.”  The word gods here is elohim.  The transliteration means false gods. 

Two other examples the Mormons use for having a belief in multiple gods are found in Ps. 82:6 and John 10:34.  The correct transliteration for the term gods in these examples is rulers and/or kings.

When the Mormon tells you that they only believe in the ‘god of this world’, show them

2 Cor. 4:4.  They are only parroting what they’ve been told to say in response to this question.  And when they tell you that they do worship elohim ask them which one they are worshipping because they are certainly not worshipping the Trinity so that only leaves us with one other possibility.

 

Godhood

 

“How can the saints receive of his fulness and be equal with the Lord and not be as he is, that is, gods?”  Doctrines of Salvation, .

 

 

“Logically and naturally, the ultimate desire of a loving Supreme Being is to help his children enjoy all that he enjoys. For Latter-day Saints, the term “godhood” denotes the attainment of such a state-one of having all divine attributes and doing as God does and being as God is. Such a state is to be enjoyed by all exalted, embodied, intelligent being.”

 

 

They go on to say how they will be having sex in heaven with their spouses:  

 

 

“The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches that all resurrected and perfected mortals become gods (cf. Gen. 3:22; Matt. ). They will dwell again with God the Father, and live and act like him… they will have the power of procreating endless lives. Latter-day Saints believe that Jesus Christ attained godhood… and that he marked the path and led the way for others likewise to become exalted divine beings by following him (cf. John 14:3).”  Encyclopedia of Mormonism, 553.

 

 

For the Mormon it is difficult to wrap the mind around the fact that there is only ONE God and one Savior just as it says in Isaiah 43:10-11.  This is where it is imperative that you use a dictionary.  Words such as eternal, forever and before are good words to define in advance.  With this type of ‘theology’ Mormons have qualified themselves as polytheists.

 

 

Grace

 

2 Nephi 25:23 says; “…for we know that it is by grace we are saved, after all we can do”.

 

 

“God’s grace consists in his love, mercy, and condescension toward his children…

 

Grace is granted to men proportionately as they conform to the standards of personal righteousness that are part of the gospel plan. Thus the saints are commanded to “grow in grace” (D. & C. 50:40), until they are sanctified and justified…Grace is an attribute of perfection possessed by Deity (D. & C. 66:12; 84:102)… The same path to perfection is offered to man.”  Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, 339.

 

 

“One of the most controversial issues in Christian theology is whether salvation is the free gift of unmerited grace or is earned through good works. Paul’s statement that “a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law” (Rom. ) is frequently cited to support the former view, while James’s statement that “faith without works is dead” (James ) is often quoted in favor of the latter view. The LDS doctrine that salvation requires both grace and works is a revealed yet commonsense reconciliation of these contradictory positions.”  Encyclopedia of Mormonism, 560.

 

 

“Salvation is attainable only through compliance with the laws and ordinances of the Gospel; and all who are thus saved become sons and daughters unto God in a distinctive sense.”  James E. Talmage, Articles of Faith, pg. 422.

 

 

There is nothing you could ever say to the Mormon that would convince them they are saved by grace alone.  Remember when witnessing to the Mormon you are simply planting a seed, the Holy Spirit is the one that does the convincing!

 

Mormons are racked with shame in believing they have never done enough for God and because of this they also believe that if they died today there is a good chance they wouldn’t go to heaven.  Can you just imagine living and working your entire life for God and still be thinking this way?  It is a desolate and degrading way to live life.

 

Eph. 2:8-9; “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

Romans 5:2 “By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”

Romans 11:6; “And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.”

Galatians -1; “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.  I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.”

 

Heavenly Mother

 

“Latter-day Saints believe that all the people of earth who lived or will live are actual spiritual offspring of God the Eternal Father (Num. ; Heb. 12:9). In this perspective, parenthood requires both father and mother, whether for the creation of spirits in the premortal life or of physical tabernacles on earth. A Heavenly Mother shares parenthood with the Heavenly Father.”  Encyclopedia of Mormonism, 961.

 

 

Hymn #270

 

Here are the words to verses 3 & 4:

 

“I had learned to call thee Father, Through thy Spirit from on high;

 

But, until the Key of Knowledge was restore, I knew not why.

 

In the heavens are parents single?  No; the thought makes reason stare!

 

Truth is reason; truth eternal Tells me I’ve a mother there.”

 

 

Verse four is just as heretical:

 

 

“When I leave this frail existence, When I lay this mortal by,

 

Father, Mother, may I meet you In your royal courts on high?

 

Then, at length, when I’ve completed All you sent me forth to do,

With your mutual approbation Let me come and dwell with you.”

 

 

There is absolutely nothing in the whole Bible that mentions anything about a ‘heavenly mother’ or heavenly father having sex with her to beget spirit babies.

 

 

Holy Ghost

 

The Mormons do not believe the Holy Ghost is God.  The Mormon Holy Ghost is a personage of spirit but nothing else.  He has limited power and does not qualify as being anything of significance in the daily walk of the Mormon’s life.

 

Gospel Principles pg. 37; “He is a spirit that has the form and likeness of a man.  He can be in only one place at a time, but his influence can be everywhere at the same time.  Compare the Holy Ghost to the sun.  There is just one sun, but its light and warmth are felt by everyone on earth.”

 

 

Mormon Doctrine pg. 359; ‘Because he is a Spirit Personage, he has power—according to the eternal laws ordained by the Father—to perform essential and unique functions for men.  In this dispensation, at least, nothing has been revealed as to his origin or destiny; expressions on these matters are both speculative and fruitless’.

 

 

Jesus told us in John 14 that He would send the Comforter to us so we wouldn’t be left comfortless, which literally means to be orphaned.  There are many other passages throughout the Bible that teaches a different Holy Spirit than that of the Mormon Holy Ghost.  Here are just a few of those verses:

 

 

Deut. 6:6-9; Isaiah 9:6; Jer. 31:31; Rom. 8:15, 26-7; John 14:23-6; Acts 1;8; 1 John 3:19; and 1 John 5:7.

 

 

All of these verses promise us that He will abide with us forever with no end.  There are too many others that prove the authenticity of God’s claims.  They are all in context and fit together perfectly which completely disproves the claims of the LDS Church.  If these verses and others like them are wrong then the Mormon should be asked what kind of a god they are worshipping and why are they bothering to read the Bible.

 

 

Intelligence

 

 

“According to latter-day scripture, “The glory of God is intelligence, or, in other words, light and truth” (D&C 93:36). Mankind, too, may be glorified by gaining intelligence (D&C 93:28-30). As Christ did not receive a fulness of intelligence at first but continued from “grace to grace” until he received a fulness (D&C 93:11-13, 27-28), so it is with all persons. Whatever principles of intelligence they gain in mortality will rise with them in the Resurrection (D&C 130:18-19).”  Encyclopedia of Mormonism, 692.

 

 

The Mormon people are some of the most highly educated people in the world.  They stress for their members to go to college and many are bi-lingual.  Now receiving an education is a great thing to have in life, I’m not saying there is no room in the Christian’s life for a good education.  The trouble in Mormonism is how they define and use their ‘intelligence’.

 

Peter pleaded with the people to truly ‘know’ God and he taught on the different ways of knowing Him.  He used six derivatives of the word ‘knowledge’ to explain to the believers how to build their relationship with Jesus in his second epistle.  John tells us in first John that abiding in Jesus is to know Him and to know His love.  And then we have Paul warning the new Christians about the false teaching of Gnosticism.  This teaching was heretical because they taught that you must have a higher level of knowledge to obtain salvation while overusing the word ‘fullness’.  Thus, the frequency of Paul’s use of the word to redirect the baby Christians back to where they should be focusing; that being Jesus Christ.  They also taught that angels had a pre-eminence over Jesus in creation including their own daily lives.

 

 

 Jesus

 

“We affirm, on the authority of Holy Scripture, that the Being who is known among men as Jesus of Nazareth, and by all who acknowledge His Godhood as Jesus the Christ, existed with the Father prior to birth in the flesh; and that in the preexistent state He was chosen and ordained to be the one and only Savior and Redeemer of the human race.” Jesus the Christ, pg. 6 by James E. Talmage.

 

 

“When the Virgin Mary conceived the child Jesus, the Father had begotten him in his own likeness. He was not begotten by the Holy Ghost… I will repeat a little anecdote. I was in conversation with a certain learned professor upon this subject, when I replied, to this idea—”if the Son was begotten by the Holy Ghost, it would be very dangerous to baptize and confirm females, and give the Holy Ghost to them, lest he should beget children…”  Sermon given by Brigham Young on April 9, 1852 in Salt Lake City, Utah, Journal of Discourses, .

 

 

It’s imperative for the Christian to understand the Mormons believe that Jesus is considered to be a created being.  To understand this huge point of Jesus being created will shed light on their phrase ‘after the manner of the flesh’.  This means their god had sex twice to bring the Mormon jesus into existence; once with their Heavenly Mother and then He came down here to earth in the flesh to have sex with Mary.

 

This is what the Bible says about Jesus Christ:

 

John 1:1, 14 says; “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”

John 5:18; “Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.”

John 8:58; “Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.”

Col. 1:15-20; “Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.” 

 

Joseph Smith

 

Any Mormon can tell you that Joseph Smith had a sixth grade education and fancied after digging for treasures as his own parents did for years.  When I was growing up though, the story was that he only had a third grade education.  As you’ll learn from their own books, the lack of an education didn’t stop him from making statements such as this about himself:

 

“Now, I ask all who hear me, why the learned men who are preaching salvation, say that God created the heavens and the earth out of nothing? The reason is, that they are unlearned in the things of God, and have not the gift of the Holy Ghost; they account it blasphemy in any one to contradict their idea. If you tell them that God made the world out of something, they will call you a fool. But I am learned, and know more than all the world put together.”  Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pg. 151.

 

 

“Joseph Smith’s Lack of Scholastic Training.  The production of the Book of Mormon is astonishing in view of the meager education Joseph Smith received in his boyhood. The financial resources of the family made it impossible for him to go beyond the schools in the little town of Palmyra, New York… In his early manhood, as soon as opportunity offered, he proceeded to make up for his deficiencies in technical education and at his death was acquainted with the fields of languages, law, history, and government.”  John A. Widtsoe, Seven Claims of the Book of Mormon, pg. 22.

“The Prophet’s Effectiveness –

 

I have more to boast of than ever any man had. I am the only man that has ever been able to keep a whole church together since the days of Adam. A large majority of the whole have stood by me. Neither Paul, John, Peter, nor Jesus ever did it. I boast that no man ever did such a work as I. The followers of Jesus ran away from Him; but the Latter-day Saints never ran away from me yet. (HC 6:408-9.)”  Joseph Smith, Discourses of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pg. 31.

 

 

“Mormonism, as it is called, must stand or fall on the story of Joseph Smith. He was either a prophet of God, divinely called, properly appointed and commissioned, or he was one of the biggest frauds this world has ever seen. There is no middle ground.  If Joseph Smith was a deceiver, who wilfully attempted to mislead the people, then he should be exposed; his claims should be refuted, and his doctrines shown to be false…”  Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, vol. 1: 188.

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