The Pre-existence of Mormonism

19 October

This particular teaching of the LDS Church is one of the three main reasons I left the Mormon Church.

In order to believe in Mormonism, the acceptance of man living with God before the earth was created is a must.  They teach that mankind was created spiritually through a sexual union between God and one of his billions of wives.  Your behavior in the pre-existence determined which family you’re born into, where and when you would live your mortal life and what color of skin you’d have here.  If you had anything less than stellar behavior there, the chances of you being born “white and delightsome” here were slim to nothing.

I was taught in countless Sacrament Meetings, Primary, MIA classes and LDS Seminary that my black curly hair, dark brown eyes and olive skin was proof I hadn’t been valiant.  I always wondered what the millions of other people must’ve done to deserve being born in Africa or China.  In the end my biggest question was why God suddenly liked my family in June of 1978 when we hadn’t changed anything in our behavior.  Kimball’s revelation was the first time I started questioning the leadership.

The Pearl of Great Price contains the story of how the world came to be and what happened in the pre-existence.  From the book of Abraham the Mormons are taught the gods organized the earth, Jesus and Lucifer are brothers, Jesus was chosen as a savior of the world, and their god lives near a star called Kolob.  It also teaches that Ham married a black woman (Egyptus) so the world would have a representative of Satan on earth after the flood.

The problem with all this?  The Bible warns us of false teachings such as these.  Below is another section of the power point presentation I give when teaching on Mormonism.  The side by side examples of Christianity and Mormonism is a simplistic tool to use when witnessing to Mormons or for the Mormon to use when investigating the teachings of the Church.

If you’re Mormon we want for you to know that we pray for you each day and hope that we hear from you!  If you believe anything in the materials presented are incorrect, please contact me so that I can fix the wrong information.  I don’t want to be wrong. The materials I’ve used for references are taken directly from the writings and teachings of the LDS Church.

With Love in Christ;

Michelle Grim

1 Cor. 1:18 …

Pre-existence of mankind

Christian Mormon
I Cor. 15:46-7; “However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual.  The first man is from the earth, earthy; the second man is from heaven.” Moses 3:7, 4:1-2:  “And I, the LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life…all things were before created; but spiritually were they created…”
John 1:12-13; “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” Mortal Messiah 1:23; “Christ and all men are spirit children of the Father… He begat us; we are the offspring of Heavenly Parents; we have an Eternal Father and an Eternal Mother. We were born as spirits, and we dwelt in the presence of our Eternal Parents; we lived before our mortal birthChrist was the Firstborn of all the heavenly host; Lucifer was a son of the morning…and Christ is our Elder Brother.” – Bruce McConkie
Romans 11:34; “For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor?” Saviors on Mount Zion, pg. 7; “The Father called all spirits before him at the creation of man, and organized them. . . . At the first organization we were all present, and saw the Savior chosen and appointed and the plan of salvation made, and we sanctioned it. We came to this earth that we might have a body and present it pure before God in the celestial kingdom.” – Archibald Bennett
Romans 9:11; “(For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;).” Encyclopedia of Mormonism, pg. 116; “In the Council in Heaven, God the Father offered his spirit children the opportunity to progress toward becoming like he is by leaving his presence and being born on earth in a mortal, physical body and learning to live by faith (Abr. 3:22-28). Mortal birth is the event by which one’s spirit body is temporarily joined with a mortal tabernacle begotten by earthly parents.”
Isaiah 44:24; “Thus saith the LORD, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the LORD that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself.” Teachings of Harold B. Lee, pg. 22; “Now, the fact that you and I are here in mortal bodies is evidence that we were among those who were in that great concourse of organized intelligences; we knew God, our Father. He was our Heavenly Father; we were sired by Him. We had a Heavenly Mother—can you think of having a father without a mother?”
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.” Mormon Doctrine, pg. 590; “From the time of their spirit birth, the Father’s pre-existent offspring were endowed with agency and subjected to the provisions of the laws ordained for their government. They had power to obey or disobey and to progress in one field or another. “The first principles of man are self-existent with God,” the Prophet said. “God himself, finding he was in the midst of spirits and glory, because he was more intelligent, saw proper to institute laws whereby the rest could have a privilege to advance like himself.” (Teachings, p. 354.)”
Job 31:15; “Did not he that made me in the womb make him? and did not one fashion us in the womb?” That Ye May Believe, pg. 10; “If we criticize God or are unduly miffed over sufferings and tribulation, we are really criticizing the Planner for implementing the very plan we once approved, premortally (see Job 38:4, 7). Granted, we don’t now remember the actual approval. But not remembering is actually part of the plan!” – Neal Maxwell
1 Timothy 6:16; “Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.” God and Man in Eternal Union, pg. 4; “Before mortality man, as a self-existing entity, had been organized as a spirit being, in similar form and stature as his physical body. Christ was the firstborn in the primeval world. fn He and others attained to great intelligence and power in that sphere of existence, and were consequently called Gods. Among other things, they participated in the creation, as the Prophet pointed out when he said, “The head of the Gods called a council of the Gods…” – Hyrum Andrus
John 3:13; “And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.” Gospel Doctrine, pg. 93; “We want to know where we came from, and where we are going. Where did we come from? From God. Our spirits existed before they came to this world. They were in the councils of the heavens before the foundations of the earth were laid. We were there.” – Joseph F. Smith

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2 Responses to “The Pre-existence of Mormonism”

  1. sandra March 29, 2013 at 11:36 pm #

    I had a personal revaluation after I joined the church. I was happy for joining and wondered why I had not been put in a mormon home after leaving the pre existence . I had met the missionaries after I was married and had a child. but i was wroth that I hadnot had the opportunity to have all the other blessings the other members had enjoyed. I received a divine revaluation that I was the one chosen to get my family into the church and that is why he didnt put me into a mormon home. I spent my whole life doing my genealogy and working with my 9 brothers and sisters. I got 2 sisters baptized, but I have also got 100’s of my family baptized by proxy that are now in the spirit world. I dont regret it at all joining Heavenly Fathers church at all. I still continue to receive revaluation to this day.

    • thapelo Maxwell June 10, 2015 at 8:20 am #

      I give credit to Mormons for explaining pre-existence life,I remember my pre-existence life perfectly as if it was yesterday,I don’t agree with the bible,Mathew got it wrong I was born first in spiritual heaven before I had a mother or father,and after I came to earth through my mother and final I will go back to heaven Jerusalem our home,where Jesus he is today in the highest mountain the Zion mountain,so credit to the Mormons for teaching pre-existence not only Jesus was in pre-existence,I think everyone but not everyone will remember his pre-existence,but god made me to rember mine exactly,I am an old soul,meaning in still using same mind,soul,Pisces, but I adopted a baby body from my mother,same as lord Jesus christ. He went from old soul,mind but when he comes to earth he was a baby again,new body but same mind,soul,Capricorn.Jesus today he is still the same Jesus the way he ascended to heaven I was in heaven Jesus rules the heaven’s he is living in mount Zion in Jerusalem the highest hill,my name is thapelo Maxwell mabuza,Zulu born in south African!.im the giant’s hunter

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