Any helpful suggestions on what else I could have said?On their first visit Elder Fred and Elder Art, asked me to describe my concept of God.
"My focus is on God’s greatest attribute." I asked them, "Do you know what that attribute is?"
"That would have to be His love", Elder Fred replied.
"That is a good guess, but you are wrong!", I said. "If you turn to Revelation 4:8 you will find the answer."
They read, "They rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty."
"You see, the four beasts do not proclaim God’s love, but His holiness!", I told them. "Since God’s holiness is His most important attribute, it is important that we understand what holiness means. Could you define holiness?"
Elders Fred and Art did not understand what the word holy meant. To help them out I got out my Young’s Analytical Concordance to the Bible and they discovered that holy means to be separate or set apart.
"My God is separate, distinct, set apart from His creation", I told them. "If holiness means to be different, then the opposite of holiness must mean to be common. Man is common, separated from God, Who alone is holy. Do you know what the Biblical word for common is?", I asked them.
They did not, so I turned them to Ezekiel 22:26. They read, "Her priests have violated my law, and have profaned mine holy things: They have put no difference between the holy and the profane."
"Did you know that the NIV Version of the Bible translates this verse, ‘They do not distinguish between the holy and the common’? The words common and profane can be used interchangeably.", I explained.
"Did you know that the greatest sin one can commit is to profane God, to make Him common?" I asked them. "To profane God is a far more serious sin than even murder or adultery!"
The two elders had a problem with that concept, so I went to the Bible to prove my point. "What was the original sin?", I asked.
"Adam and Eve partaking of the fruit," they told me.
"No, the original sin was committed by Satan," I countered. "It is recorded in Isaiah 14:12-14, ‘How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.’
"Lucifer’s sin was to profane the holiness of God. He then tempted Adam and Eve to partake of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, saying, ‘Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil’ (Genesis 3:4-5). Lest we also be deceived by this statement given by Satan, Jesus warns, ‘that there is no truth in him, he is a liar and the father of lies’ (John 8:44)."
I continued, "One of the reasons why I could never join the Mormon church is that the your religion profaned God by saying, "As man is God once was, and as God is, man can become."
I was surprised when Elders Fred and Art returned for a second meeting. This time they wanted to prove that Joseph Smith was a prophet, and that the Book of Mormon was inspired by God.
I asked them, "How do you know that Joseph Smith is a prophet, and that the Book of Mormon comes from God?"
They said that they had prayed before reading the Book of Mormon and God confirmed the truth of the Book of Mormon by the burning in their hearts - comparing their experience with the two men on the Emmaus Road.
"It is dangerous to trust in your own hearts, for the Bible says, ‘The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked’ (Jeremiah 17:9). And while it is true that the two men’s hearts burned while they were on the road (Luke 24:32), Christ rebuked them saying, ‘O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken’ (Luke 24:25). They did not even recognize who the Lord was, even though they had a burning in their hearts!", I told them.
"Furthermore, the test of the prophet was never made by a burning in the heart; the test of a prophet was 100% accuracy in what he spoke. (See Deuteronomy 13:1-10, and 18:20-22) The question is not whether my heart burns when I hear Joseph Smith’s prophesies, but the accuracy of the Book of Mormon. I have a letter from the National Museum of Natural History which says, "Smithsonian archeologists see no direct connection between the archeology of the New World and the subject matter of the book."
" Would you like to see a copy of that letter?", I asked them.
They both replied, "No, we know this book is true, because of the burning in our hearts."
When I pressed them, both told me that they placed more weight on their feelings than any archeological evidence that would seem to contradict their beliefs."
The two elders came one last time, bringing a video entitled, How Rare a Possession. It told the story of how a pastor found a copy of the Book of Mormon and became convinced that it was the word of God. Much to the discomfort of Elders Fred and Art, I took notes while the video was being shown.
When the pastor was brought before a council, for teaching apostasy, he told this committee that he could not abandon the new doctrine he found in the book of Mormon.
After the video was over, I asked the two elders about the statement the former pastor made about ‘the new doctrine’. They denied that it had been made.
"I took notes. Let us watch the video once more, and see if that statement really was made." I was told that I could not see the video again.
I asked the elders if they could explain what Romans 2:16 meant: "In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel."
" Does this verse not mean that we all will be judged according to the gospel that is written by the apostle Paul? Does your church teach that same gospel?", I questioned.
They refused to answer my question, and Elder Fred told me, "It is fruitless for us to talk to you any more. You have a contentious spirit and are not interested in the truth!"
"If I appear to be contentious to you, it is only because I am obeying the commandments of the New Testament. For in the Book of Jude, it is written, ‘that ye should earnestly contend for the faith...’ "
"But we are preaching the same gospel as you are!" Elder Fred protested.
I said, "Let me finish the verse! That ye should earnestly content for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. (Jude 1:3). I am contending for the faith that was delivered once. Your faith was partially delivered in the New Testament, then Joseph Smith delivered another testament of Jesus Christ. You are contenting for the faith that was delivered twice. According to the Holy Scriptures who is obeying the command of God?
They stormed out, promising never to return to my home again.
