Are Mormons REALLY the unbiblical ones?

[Fotis Greece]

Ok ... you are right.We are polyheists.....I'm not Christian you are right...Soulgazer is not too...Cathars, Bogomils Paulicians... Sethians ... none of them were Christians...sure...

 

[VolRaider]

Where in the the Bible does it teach the "Trinity?"
Where's the word "Rapture?"
Where does it teach the Bible that it is the sole source for doctrine?
Where does it teach "faith alone is enough to be saved?"
Where does it state The Church is just a "Body of Believers" and not one body? Basically explain how Protestantism is biblical?
"The Eucharist?" (for Cathllics?)
Baptizing Infants?
The notion of creeds?


The answer is nowhere!

Only people who cherry-pick lines from the Bible can answer these questions with a "yes" even though it's never REALLY there unless you use a lot of creativity.

So who are REALLY the unbiblical ones here?

...not Mormons...

Baptism for the Dead (in the Bible)
Three Heavens (in the Bible)
Other Sheep/ Stick of Ephraim (people of the Book of Mormon) (in the Bible)
Prophets and Apostles (in the Bible)
Melchizedek Priesthood (in the Bible)

Makes you think, huh?

Mormons celebrate Easter and Christmas. Where are those found in The Bible? Where is substituting water for wine during Communion found in the Bible? What about the secret handshakes y'all have? Where is being confined to the Outer Darkness instead of Hell for doing evil found in the Bible?

The translation from papyrus found in a traveling circus act by Joseph Smith that was supposedly the Book of Abraham should be enough to convince anybody that Smith was a fraud.

 

[Rescued One]

Yes indeed... i was intrested in the lutheran church... I didn't join the LDS church, on the other hand i like Community of Christ more than the LDS. I'm just still seeking.But i have read the Book of Mormon... and realy i'm fascinated of what it says.

Thanks for answering! The Book of Mormon doesn't contradict the Bible as much as Doctrine and Covenants does. Have you read the Doctrine and Covenants?

 

[Rescued One]

I think you are theologically wrong.All Mormons and most of Gnostics are actually Christians.The most theologian scholoars accept that because if you study Mormons and many Gnostic groups you will see that actually are Christians.Rituals,Scriptures... everything.You are completly wrong theologicaly

Can you tell us how you know if a person is a Christian?

 

[Fotis Greece]

Thanks for answering! The Book of Mormon doesn't contradict the Bible as much as Doctrine and Covenants does. Have you read the Doctrine and Covenants?

Yes... exactly, that's why i prefer Community of Christ than LDS.

 

[Conor B]

it is the same absurd and isnulting for me too... when they say that Mormons are not Christians!!! Thank you for your conversation... i will not comment anymore in this thread because i find it useless.

I was born under the covenant (LDS) and remained LDS until rather late in life.

I can tell you with certainty from a great many years experience both as a Christian and a Latter Day Saint that LDS beliefs diverge from orthodox Christianity FAR more than Christianity diverges from its Jewish heritage.

You may find it insulting that Christians do not acknowledge Mormons as Christian but they do so because Latter Day Saints disavow almost all of the core doctrines that define just what a Christian is.

Latter Day Saints whether they realize it or not are doing just what Jesus talks about in Matthew 15:8-9 where He is quoting from Isaiah 29:13:

"This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men."

Apparently false religions crop up again and again throughout time and not surprisingly so do the same old heresies albeit under different names.

Christianity is to teach and follow what Jesus taught and observed without adding any teachings of our own or taking away anything He taught us. We do that by studying both His word and the words of His apostles and also the prophets and patriarchs who preceded Him.

We also measure the writings of those that followed Him against previously revealed Scripture to determine whether these things are true (Acts 17:11) Teachings that contradict or refute previously revealed Scripture must be rejected as they are using the aforementioned criteria not from God but from man and therefore anathema.

The commonly used allegation that "Pauline Christianity" diverges from Judaic Christianity is baseless because it cannot be demonstrated that Paul taught anything that either contradicted or refuted previously existing Scripture i.e the TaNakh.

On the other hand, Mormonism, using the very same criteria fails miserably.

Mormonism for the most part is obviously a man made religion created by an egotistical and very corrupt man who was also quite possibly demonized.

This is a man who actually had the audacity to rewrite the very Word of God by claiming to "restore" previously lost and or corrupted portions of the KJV.

Here of course I'm referring to the JST or Joseph Smith Translation of the KJV much of which is included in footnotes and a JST index of the LDS version of the KJV.

This horrifying alteration of the Bible is in addition to the blasphemous Doctrine & Covenants, the heavily plagiarized narrative known as the "Book of Mormon" and the falsified translation of Egyptian papyri known as the "Pearl of Great Price".

Mormon "Scripture" such as it is contradicts and refutes Biblical teachings left and right.

Mormon theology upon careful examination is Christian in name only with the exception of a few biblical doctrines that make it a somewhat plausible counterfeit of Christianity.

 

[A New Dawn]

Yes indeed... i was intrested in the lutheran church... I didn't join the LDS church, on the other hand i like Community of Christ more than the LDS. I'm just still seeking.But i have read the Book of Mormon... and realy i'm fascinated of what it says.

I saw this and it piqued my interest.

You say, in comparing the LDS to the Community of Christ, that you like the Community of Christ better, but what is it you believe, and what is it you believe the Community of Christ teaches that you like it better than the LDS church?

Thanks.

Yes... exactly, that's why i prefer Community of Christ than LDS.

 

[Going Merry]

Where in the the Bible does it teach the "Trinity?"
Where's the word "Rapture?"
Where does it teach the Bible that it is the sole source for doctrine?
Where does it teach "faith alone is enough to be saved?"
Where does it state The Church is just a "Body of Believers" and not one body? Basically explain how Protestantism is biblical?
"The Eucharist?" (for Cathllics?)
Baptizing Infants?
The notion of creeds?


The answer is nowhere!

Only people who cherry-pick lines from the Bible can answer these questions with a "yes" even though it's never REALLY there unless you use a lot of creativity.

So who are REALLY the unbiblical ones here?

...not Mormons...

Baptism for the Dead (in the Bible)
Three Heavens (in the Bible)
Other Sheep/ Stick of Ephraim (people of the Book of Mormon) (in the Bible)
Prophets and Apostles (in the Bible)
Melchizedek Priesthood (in the Bible)

Makes you think, huh?

well considering they dont use a bible...

 

[A New Dawn]

<staff edit>

No, this thread is not about who is or who is not a Christian, it is about who is, or who is not Biblical.

 

[Rescued One]

well considering they dont use a bible...

That is false information.
Scriptures | LDS.org

However, people need to be aware of what the Book of Mormon says about the Bible:

24 And the angel of the Lord said unto me: Thou hast beheld that the book proceeded forth from the mouth of a Jew; and when it proceeded forth from the mouth of a Jew it contained the fulness of the gospel of the Lord, of whom the twelve apostles bear record; and they bear record according to the truth which is in the Lamb of God.

25 Wherefore, these things go forth from the Jews in purity unto the Gentiles, according to the truth which is in God.

26 And after they go forth by the hand of the twelve apostles of the Lamb, from the Jews unto the Gentiles, thou seest the formation of that great and abominable church, which is most abominable above all other churches; for behold, they have taken away from the gospel of the Lamb many parts which are plain and most precious; and also many covenants of the Lord have they taken away.

27 And all this have they done that they might pervert the right ways of the Lord, that they might blind the eyes and harden the hearts of the children of men.

28 Wherefore, thou seest that after the book hath gone forth through the hands of the great and abominable church, that there are many plain and precious things taken away from the book, which is the book of the Lamb of God.

29 And after these plain and precious things were taken away it goeth forth unto all the nations of the Gentiles; and after it goeth forth unto all the nations of the Gentiles, yea, even across the many waters which thou hast seen with the Gentiles which have gone forth out of captivity, thou seest—because of the many plain and precious things which have been taken out of the book, which were plain unto the understanding of the children of men, according to the plainness which is in the Lamb of God—because of these things which are taken away out of the gospel of the Lamb, an exceedingly great many do stumble, yea, insomuch that Satan hath great power over them.
Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi 13: 24-29


There is an overwhelming lack of understanding in the world in relation to these principles of salvation and exaltation given to prepare mankind for a place in the kingdom of God, and this lack causes many to stumble. There is no excuse on the part of members of the Church, for they have received the necessary revelation directly from the heavens in this Dispensation of the Fulness of Times. The great mission of the Son of God has been revealed in the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants more clearly than any other place. Many passages that have been misunderstood, and therefore mistranslated in the Bible, are clarified in these sacred volumes.
(Joseph Fielding Smith, Answers to Gospel Questions, 5 vols. [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1957-1966], 4:.)

And LDS misinterpretations of the Bible can be found in their lesson manuals online.

 

[Philothei]

Mod hat on
This thread has undergone a major thread clean-up! Please STAY on TOPIC this is about the Mormons being un-biblical NOT about them being NOT Christian. To call unorthodox Christians NOT Christians or Messianic Christians not Christians is a violation of our Forum rules! And please stick to the topic if you want to talk about Messianic religion then start a new thread this is about Mormons.

Thanks!

Rule reminder:

&#9679; Do not state or imply that another member or group of members who have identified themselves as Christian are not Christian.

Originally Posted by AeonJ

Where in the the Bible does it teach the "Trinity?"
Where's the word "Rapture?"
Where does it teach the Bible that it is the sole source for doctrine?
Where does it teach "faith alone is enough to be saved?"
Where does it state The Church is just a "Body of Believers" and not one body? Basically explain how Protestantism is biblical?
"The Eucharist?" (for Cathllics?)
Baptizing Infants?
The notion of creeds?


The answer is nowhere!

Only people who cherry-pick lines from the Bible can answer these questions with a "yes" even though it's never REALLY there unless you use a lot of creativity.

So who are REALLY the unbiblical ones here?

...not Mormons...

Baptism for the Dead (in the Bible)
Three Heavens (in the Bible)
Other Sheep/ Stick of Ephraim (people of the Book of Mormon) (in the Bible)
Prophets and Apostles (in the Bible)
Melchizedek Priesthood (in the Bible)

Makes you think, huh?
​

Mod hat off
​

 

[drstevej]

Where in the the Bible does it teach the "Trinity?"
Where's the word "Rapture?"
Where does it teach the Bible that it is the sole source for doctrine?
Where does it teach "faith alone is enough to be saved?"
Where does it state The Church is just a "Body of Believers" and not one body? Basically explain how Protestantism is biblical?
"The Eucharist?" (for Cathllics?)
Baptizing Infants?
The notion of creeds?


The answer is nowhere!

Only people who cherry-pick lines from the Bible can answer these questions with a "yes" even though it's never REALLY there unless you use a lot of creativity.

So who are REALLY the unbiblical ones here?

...not Mormons...

Baptism for the Dead (in the Bible)
Three Heavens (in the Bible)
Other Sheep/ Stick of Ephraim (people of the Book of Mormon) (in the Bible)
Prophets and Apostles (in the Bible)
Melchizedek Priesthood (in the Bible)

Makes you think, huh?

So much for the oft claimed notion that we (LDS) are Christians just like you. You make it plain that the LDS version of Christianity is miles apart from what is termed here "orthodox" Christianity. Too many LDS deny their First Vision in an effort to appear to the public to be with us.

As far as your "in the Bible" mantra, Joseph Smith's 'translation' shows his tendency to read his theology INTO the Bible whereever he finds it convenient (ex. Romans 8:30 where he substitutes sanctified for justified to maintain works salvation).

BTW, you question where the Bible has a notion of creeds yet uour LDS Scripture contains Twelve Articles of Faith.

Your church website says this of them

Ever since the Articles of Faith were written, they&#8217;ve inspired and directed us in the basic principles of our gospel. They enhance our understanding of certain doctrines and help us commit to living them. They invite further thought. And they&#8217;re a good tool for explaining our beliefs to people unfamiliar with them.

Note: underlining of our gospel is mine.

So are you not guilty of what you attribute to us?

Hey could you point me to where I can buy a Reformed Egyptian lexicon? I'd like to study the origin of the term Kolob... that term never appears in the Bible or in any greek or Hebrew lexicon that I own.

 

[3 Angels Messages]

To any current and official member of the LDS community, I would like to study the scriptures together with you and ask questions of one another. May we begin by asking a few basic questions...

What is sin, scripturally?

Are [we as] Christians to obey God in His [the Ten] Commandments?

If so, where are these specific Commandments found in scripture explicitly?

Also, what is the official stance of the LDS doctrine in this, and can you please cite that from the official LDS website [at least in pertinent part, with cited link]?

...other subjects I would like to speak with any LDS about also include God's Temple/Sanctuary, State of the Dead and what happens when we die, Creation, God, prophets etc.

If any are interested in studying with me, please reply to this post, or PM me to continue privately. If there are additional subjects you would like to also look at, please let me know in reply. Thank you!

 

[mathetes123]

Where in the the Bible does it teach the "Trinity?"
Where's the word "Rapture?"
Where does it teach the Bible that it is the sole source for doctrine?
Where does it teach "faith alone is enough to be saved?"
Where does it state The Church is just a "Body of Believers" and not one body? Basically explain how Protestantism is biblical?
"The Eucharist?" (for Cathllics?)
Baptizing Infants?
The notion of creeds?


The answer is nowhere!

Only people who cherry-pick lines from the Bible can answer these questions with a "yes" even though it's never REALLY there unless you use a lot of creativity.

So who are REALLY the unbiblical ones here?

...not Mormons...

Baptism for the Dead (in the Bible)
Three Heavens (in the Bible)
Other Sheep/ Stick of Ephraim (people of the Book of Mormon) (in the Bible)
Prophets and Apostles (in the Bible)
Melchizedek Priesthood (in the Bible)

Makes you think, huh?

Have you read the Bible?

 

[Rescued One]

Have you read the Bible?

Mormons read the KJV Bible and the LDS church teaches them how to interpret it.

The Life and Teachings of Jesus and His Apostles

 

[Rescued One]

LDS and the Ten Commandments:

Old Testament Student Manual Genesis - 2 Samuel - 11 - Exodus 20 - The Ten Commandments

LDS and the Sabbath:
7. Direct promises of temporal plenty, divine protection, and spiritual power are promised in connection with keeping the Sabbath. For example, after giving the commandment for the observance of the Sabbatical year, the Lord promises, “ye shall dwell in the land in safety. And the land shall yield her fruit, and ye shall eat your fill, and dwell therein in safety.” ( Leviticus 25:18–19 .) Isaiah promised to those who do not do their own pleasures on the Sabbath, “then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord” (a concept perhaps related to having one’s confidence wax strong in the presence of God [see D&C 121:45 ]), and the Lord “will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob” ( Isaiah 58:14 ). The heritage of Jacob was exaltation, and he was made a God! (see D&C 132:37 ).

The promises of Doctrine and Covenants 59:16–24 are based on the condition in verse 16 . Elder Spencer W. Kimball talked in some detail about the challenges of keeping the Sabbath day holy:

“The fourth commandment is a dual law, both positive and negative. On the negative side: ‘. . . in it (the Sabbath) thou shalt not do any work.’ On the positive side: ‘Remember the sabbath day to keep it holy. . . .

“Every week we find people defiantly carrying on their work and play activities on the Lord’s day. Shops and stores carry large signs: ‘Open Sunday.’ Factories and businesses run with ‘full steam ahead.’ Houses are displayed and sold. Beaches, parks, and other places of amusement enjoy their best business. Long waiting lines of people stand before ticket offices of theatres. The ball games and rodeos attract their thousands and families have their reunions in parks and canyons. Students study their secular lessons. Stockmen round up their cattle. People travel when unnecessary. Farmers plow and harvest and cultivate their crops. Some businessmen close their offices but spend their Sabbaths in streams, fishing, and in mountains, hunting, and in canyons, loafing. Women do their cleaning and other housework. Others explore and hike. The people, as a whole, seem to be on wheels—the highways are crowded. Half-clad men are clipping hedges, cutting lawns. Lunch stands and drive-ins work almost in a frenzy. Women in housecoats and unshaved men spend hours lazing about their homes. The socially elite hold receptions and teas, and week after week the Sabbath is desecrated and the law of God defied.

“It is conceded that many good folk are compelled to labor on Sunday. Their alternatives are to work or lose their employment. But frequently those whose shift work occupies part of the day excuse themselves from Sabbath activities using their work as an alibi. Shift workers seldom work more hours a day than other folk, and if they are determined such people can usually find ample time to render service and to hallow the Sabbath in the hours that remain.

“When employment is at a low ebb and difficult to obtain, some people find they must labor on the holy day as an ‘ox in the mire.’ But when employment is abundant, men can often find work which requires no Sabbath service. This change of employment might entail some financial sacrifice, but the Lord has promised he will bless those who live his laws.” (In “The Fourth Commandment,” Part 1, The Ten Commandments Today, pp. 55, 57–58.)

Then, speaking of the positive aspects of the commandment, Elder Kimball said:

“In Hebrew the term Sabbath means ‘rest.’ It contemplates quiet tranquility, peace of mind and spirit. It is a day to get rid of selfish interests and absorbing activities.

“The Sabbath day is given throughout the generations of man for a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between the Lord and his children forever. It is a day in which to worship and to express our gratitude and appreciation to the Lord. It is a day on which to surrender every worldly interest and to praise the Lord humbly, for humility is the beginning of exaltation. It is a day not for affliction and burden but for rest and righteous enjoyment. It is a day not for lavish banqueting, but a day of simple meals and spiritual feasting; not a day of abstinence from food, except fast day, but a day when maid and mistress might be relieved from the preparation. It is a day graciously given us by our Heavenly Father. It is a day when animals may be turned out to graze and rest; when the plow may be stored in the barn and other machinery cooled down; a day when employer and employee, master and servant may be free from plowing, digging, toiling. It is a day when the office may be locked and business postponed, and troubles forgotten; a day when man may be temporarily released from that first injunction, ‘In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, until thou return unto the ground. . . .’ It is a day when bodies may rest, minds relax, and spirits grow. It is a day when songs may be sung, prayers offered, sermons preached, and testimonies borne, and when man may climb high, almost annihilating time, space, and distance between himself and his Creator.

“The Sabbath is a day on which to take inventory—to analyze our weaknesses, to confess our sins to our associates and our Lord. It is a day on which to fast in ‘sackcloth and ashes.’ It is a day on which to read good books, a day to contemplate and ponder, a day to study lessons for priesthood and auxiliary organizations, a day to study the scriptures and to prepare sermons, a day to nap and rest and relax, a day to visit the sick, a day to preach the gospel, a day to proselyte, a day to visit quietly with the family and get acquainted with our children, a day for proper courting, a day to do good, a day to drink at the fountain of knowledge and of instruction, a day to seek forgiveness of our sins, a day for the enrichment of our spirit and our soul, a day to restore us to our spiritual stature, a day to partake of the emblems of his sacrifice and atonement, a day to contemplate the glories of the gospel and of the eternal realms, a day to climb high on the upward path toward our Heavenly Father.” (In “The Fourth Commandment,” Part 2, The Ten Commandments Today, pp. 66–68.)
Old Testament Student Manual Genesis - 2 Samuel - 11 - Exodus 20 - The Ten Commandments



“The Sabbath is a holy day in which to do worthy and holy things. Abstinence from work and recreation is important but insufficient. The Sabbath calls for constructive thoughts and acts, and if one merely lounges about doing nothing on the Sabbath, he is breaking it. To observe it, one will be on his knees in prayer, preparing lessons, studying the gospel, meditating, visiting the ill and distressed, sleeping, reading wholesome material, and attending all the meetings of that day to which he is expected. To fail to do these proper things is a transgression on the omission side” (Spencer W. Kimball, The Miracle of Forgiveness, Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1969, pp. 96–97).

Remember the Sabbath Day - Ensign Apr. 1994 - ensign

 

[Phantasman]

Where in the the Bible does it teach the "Trinity?"
Where's the word "Rapture?"
Where does it teach the Bible that it is the sole source for doctrine?
Where does it teach "faith alone is enough to be saved?"
Where does it state The Church is just a "Body of Believers" and not one body? Basically explain how Protestantism is biblical?
"The Eucharist?" (for Cathllics?)
Baptizing Infants?
The notion of creeds?


The answer is nowhere!

Only people who cherry-pick lines from the Bible can answer these questions with a "yes" even though it's never REALLY there unless you use a lot of creativity.

So who are REALLY the unbiblical ones here?

...not Mormons...

Baptism for the Dead (in the Bible)
Three Heavens (in the Bible)
Other Sheep/ Stick of Ephraim (people of the Book of Mormon) (in the Bible)
Prophets and Apostles (in the Bible)
Melchizedek Priesthood (in the Bible)

Makes you think, huh?

Mormons seem to consider that they have a hand up on religion. Joseph Smith seems to have understood a spirit (Jesus) to say that all the religions had taken a wrong turn and with Joseph Smiths help, Jesus was going to get them on the right track. (I may be wrong, maybe Gabriel, it has been 35 years since I lived in Utah.)

The LDS add the Book of Mormon to their teaching, which is a separate history of faith and the plight of Moroni and others living during the time of Jesus (in South America) and their stories, similar to the OT.

Joseph Smith (until Illinois) and Brigham Young supposedly got direct revelations from God and how to conduct their church. These 100+ revelations are the Doctrine and Covenance, the churches basis and theme.

They do worship God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit is recognized. They are not a cult as most would consider cults. But they are dogmatic in that they believe that they are the only true religion, so much so that to become Mormon, one must be ready to adhere to some proving rituals.

All in all I classify them as a protestant faith with some extra belief systems in play that one needs to pray about and feel if there is a spiritual connection that supports a comforting growth relationship with God and Jesus. I read some of the Book of Mormon and it was interesting, but I place it as a historical account, but without direct spiritual value.

These are just my opinions.

 

[Jupiter Drops]

Alrighty, this video...

The documentary on Mormonism and Latter-Day Saints (LDS) is engaging and thought provoking for the die-hard monogamist, the carefree atheist and even the hopeless polygamist Muslim, but it grants relief when former members of the LDS testify against the dogma they left behind and the pain they caused their families.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FR1gKJHtl8s

 

[bbbbbbb]

LDS and the Ten Commandments:

Old Testament Student Manual Genesis - 2 Samuel - 11 - Exodus 20 - The Ten Commandments

LDS and the Sabbath:
7. Direct promises of temporal plenty, divine protection, and spiritual power are promised in connection with keeping the Sabbath. For example, after giving the commandment for the observance of the Sabbatical year, the Lord promises, “ye shall dwell in the land in safety. And the land shall yield her fruit, and ye shall eat your fill, and dwell therein in safety.” ( Leviticus 25:18–19 .) Isaiah promised to those who do not do their own pleasures on the Sabbath, “then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord” (a concept perhaps related to having one’s confidence wax strong in the presence of God [see D&C 121:45 ]), and the Lord “will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob” ( Isaiah 58:14 ). The heritage of Jacob was exaltation, and he was made a God! (see D&C 132:37 ).

The promises of Doctrine and Covenants 59:16–24 are based on the condition in verse 16 . Elder Spencer W. Kimball talked in some detail about the challenges of keeping the Sabbath day holy:

“The fourth commandment is a dual law, both positive and negative. On the negative side: ‘. . . in it (the Sabbath) thou shalt not do any work.’ On the positive side: ‘Remember the sabbath day to keep it holy. . . .

“Every week we find people defiantly carrying on their work and play activities on the Lord’s day. Shops and stores carry large signs: ‘Open Sunday.’ Factories and businesses run with ‘full steam ahead.’ Houses are displayed and sold. Beaches, parks, and other places of amusement enjoy their best business. Long waiting lines of people stand before ticket offices of theatres. The ball games and rodeos attract their thousands and families have their reunions in parks and canyons. Students study their secular lessons. Stockmen round up their cattle. People travel when unnecessary. Farmers plow and harvest and cultivate their crops. Some businessmen close their offices but spend their Sabbaths in streams, fishing, and in mountains, hunting, and in canyons, loafing. Women do their cleaning and other housework. Others explore and hike. The people, as a whole, seem to be on wheels—the highways are crowded. Half-clad men are clipping hedges, cutting lawns. Lunch stands and drive-ins work almost in a frenzy. Women in housecoats and unshaved men spend hours lazing about their homes. The socially elite hold receptions and teas, and week after week the Sabbath is desecrated and the law of God defied.

“It is conceded that many good folk are compelled to labor on Sunday. Their alternatives are to work or lose their employment. But frequently those whose shift work occupies part of the day excuse themselves from Sabbath activities using their work as an alibi. Shift workers seldom work more hours a day than other folk, and if they are determined such people can usually find ample time to render service and to hallow the Sabbath in the hours that remain.

“When employment is at a low ebb and difficult to obtain, some people find they must labor on the holy day as an ‘ox in the mire.’ But when employment is abundant, men can often find work which requires no Sabbath service. This change of employment might entail some financial sacrifice, but the Lord has promised he will bless those who live his laws.” (In “The Fourth Commandment,” Part 1, The Ten Commandments Today, pp. 55, 57–58.)

Then, speaking of the positive aspects of the commandment, Elder Kimball said:

“In Hebrew the term Sabbath means ‘rest.’ It contemplates quiet tranquility, peace of mind and spirit. It is a day to get rid of selfish interests and absorbing activities.

“The Sabbath day is given throughout the generations of man for a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between the Lord and his children forever. It is a day in which to worship and to express our gratitude and appreciation to the Lord. It is a day on which to surrender every worldly interest and to praise the Lord humbly, for humility is the beginning of exaltation. It is a day not for affliction and burden but for rest and righteous enjoyment. It is a day not for lavish banqueting, but a day of simple meals and spiritual feasting; not a day of abstinence from food, except fast day, but a day when maid and mistress might be relieved from the preparation. It is a day graciously given us by our Heavenly Father. It is a day when animals may be turned out to graze and rest; when the plow may be stored in the barn and other machinery cooled down; a day when employer and employee, master and servant may be free from plowing, digging, toiling. It is a day when the office may be locked and business postponed, and troubles forgotten; a day when man may be temporarily released from that first injunction, ‘In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, until thou return unto the ground. . . .’ It is a day when bodies may rest, minds relax, and spirits grow. It is a day when songs may be sung, prayers offered, sermons preached, and testimonies borne, and when man may climb high, almost annihilating time, space, and distance between himself and his Creator.

“The Sabbath is a day on which to take inventory—to analyze our weaknesses, to confess our sins to our associates and our Lord. It is a day on which to fast in ‘sackcloth and ashes.’ It is a day on which to read good books, a day to contemplate and ponder, a day to study lessons for priesthood and auxiliary organizations, a day to study the scriptures and to prepare sermons, a day to nap and rest and relax, a day to visit the sick, a day to preach the gospel, a day to proselyte, a day to visit quietly with the family and get acquainted with our children, a day for proper courting, a day to do good, a day to drink at the fountain of knowledge and of instruction, a day to seek forgiveness of our sins, a day for the enrichment of our spirit and our soul, a day to restore us to our spiritual stature, a day to partake of the emblems of his sacrifice and atonement, a day to contemplate the glories of the gospel and of the eternal realms, a day to climb high on the upward path toward our Heavenly Father.” (In “The Fourth Commandment,” Part 2, The Ten Commandments Today, pp. 66–68.)
Old Testament Student Manual Genesis - 2 Samuel - 11 - Exodus 20 - The Ten Commandments



“The Sabbath is a holy day in which to do worthy and holy things. Abstinence from work and recreation is important but insufficient. The Sabbath calls for constructive thoughts and acts, and if one merely lounges about doing nothing on the Sabbath, he is breaking it. To observe it, one will be on his knees in prayer, preparing lessons, studying the gospel, meditating, visiting the ill and distressed, sleeping, reading wholesome material, and attending all the meetings of that day to which he is expected. To fail to do these proper things is a transgression on the omission side” (Spencer W. Kimball, The Miracle of Forgiveness, Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1969, pp. 96–97).

Remember the Sabbath Day - Ensign Apr. 1994 - ensign

One of the great difficulties with this commandment as practiced by the LDS is that their practice fails to align with the biblical mandate. The LDS do not observe the Sabbath on Saturday, the seventh day of the week, as explicitly stated in scripture. They prefer to imply Sunday as being the Sabbath although it is nowhere stated to have been changed from the seventh to the first day of the week, either in the Bible or in the other three Standard Works of the LDS.

Setting aside the question of which day is the Sabbath, the LDS do not follow the mandated practice in the Bible. They kindle fires in their homes, they travel more than is allowed in scripture, they do not rest and have turned Sunday into a day of religious work and activity.

There is also the question of the sabbatical year mentioned above. The LDS assuredly do not practice a sabbatical year of complete rest from any and all productive labor.

If one's eternal state is conditioned upon obedience to the Ten Commandments, then one must conclude that not a single member of the LDS is worthy to enter heaven.

 

[drstevej]

All in all I classify them as a protestant faith with some extra belief systems in play that one needs to pray about and feel if there is a spiritual connection that supports a comforting growth relationship with God and Jesus.

These are just my opinions.

"a protestant faith?" This is deceptive at best since there no kinship between Mormonism and the Protestant Reformation. In fact, it was the creeds of the Protestant Reformation That the First Vision (the foundation of Mormonism) reveals to be an abomination. The deity of Mormonism told Smith NOT to join ANY of them.

Protestantism centers on the twin foci of Scripture alone and faith alone; yet Mormonism adds to Scripture (e.g. The Book of Mormon, D&C, PoGP) and makes works a requirement (e.g. 1 Nephi 25:23 ...for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do).

Mormonism was not a reforming of Christianity it was presented as a re-instituting of Christianity complete with a "Prophet-Seer-Revelator" a new priesthood (Melchizadek) and a new required ordinance (proxy-Baptism).

Mormonism more resembles the Indian Israelism (i.e. native americans are the lost tribes of Israel) of Ethan Smith's A View of the Hebrews written 7 years before Smith's unearthing of the golden plates.

Joseph Smith was a convicted treasure seeker[1826]. He was termed a "glass looker" who claimed to be able to see buried treasure.

Smith's own mother tells of her son's fascination with native american tales prior to 1830... ""He (Joseph Smith) would describe the ancient inhabitants of this continent, their dress, mode of traveling, their buildings, with every particular; their mode of warfare; and also their religious worship, This he would do with as much ease seemingly, as if he had spent his whole life among them." -- Lucy Mack Smith, Biographical Sketches of Joseph Smith, 87.

Mormonism is the creation of Joseph's Smith's fertile mind and evidence that his conviction in 1826 was not the end of his penchant for cons based upon buried treasure.