Mormons

[Andrea411]

Anyone know anything about Mormons?

I work with one. He talks about it all the time. He spent two years as a Mormon missionary. I told him about reformed theology an he has never heard of it.

a beginning....
1. Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon using a special rock called a peep stone. He placed it in a hat, then put his face in the hat to block out the light, and then text was revealed to him on the surface of the stone. Joseph also sometimes received revelations through the stone. 2. Joseph Smith practiced polygamy, and had as many as 33 wives or more. Some of these marriages were polyandrous, meaning that Joseph married women who were already married to other men. Some of Joseph's wives were teenage girls. Joseph was secretive about his various marriages. In fact, at one point he married two sisters (who had been brought into their home as maids) and neither knew that the other was married to Joseph. 3. There are varying accounts of the First Vision, including differences in who visited Joseph, what he had been praying about, what was said to him, and even when the vision took place. 4. Joseph Smith and the others with him drank wine while in Carthage Jail. 5. The Book of Abraham does not match the contents of the papyri it was supposedly translated from. In fact, not only is the text nothing more than ordinary funerary papers, but the papyri have also been found to have originated much later than Abraham's time. 6. Oliver Cowdery used a diving rod to receive revelation and translate. 7. Joseph Smith was a treasure seeker or money digger, who was often involved in efforts to search for buried treasure by means of folk magic (including the use of diving rods and peep stones). 8. Many changes were made to revelations in the Book of Commandments before they were reprinted as the Doctrine and Covenants. 9. Joseph Smith claimed to have translated a portion of the Kinderhook Plates which were later discovered to be a hoax. 10. Mormon settlers massacred over 100 unarmed men, women and children in the Mountain Meadows Massacre in southern Utah, in 1857. 11. There was a group of men in the early church known as the "Danites," who were known for attacking non-Mormons. 12. Changes have been made to the text of the Book of Mormon over the years. One of the most significant changes involved altering references that referred to Jesus as "God" into "the Son of God."

Dispelling the Anti-Mormon Myth

this is just a little bit thats on the web, but I was amazed, the LDS has been busy scrubbing the internet clean of what they call anti-mormonism.
But as a former mormon I suggest not confronting the lies but sharing the truth.... just share Christ, what it means to you to be saved and ask what are the differences in LDS beliefs... they have professionals countering all things they consider anti-mormon, but what it comes down to is: can you be saved and Not be a Mormon and does it matter if they know the truth. Ravi Zacharius has youtube videos where he was invited to speak to them. He never addressed their fallacies, he told them the gospel. They now have the fastest overturn rate in the country... although they don't tell anyone that bc they keep you on the roles unless you specifically ask to be removed. Which I did. God bless, andrea

 

[Andrea411]

It's generally better to let people speak for themselves. Here's an FAQ done for the old soc.religion.christian (of which I was moderator):

http://www.cs.rutgers.edu/pub/soc.religion.christian/faq/lds.faq.1
http://www.cs.rutgers.edu/pub/soc.religion.christian/faq/lds.faq.2

and a supplement I wrote:

http://www.cs.rutgers.edu/pub/soc.religion.christian/faq/mormon

Excellent writing but when I went online to find facts about Mormons, they seem to have scrubbed the internet and if you go to lies about Mormons, it another mormon site.... they really are fighting back against the truth.
Thanks, andrea

 

[Osage Bluestem]

a beginning....
1. Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon using a special rock called a peep stone. He placed it in a hat, then put his face in the hat to block out the light, and then text was revealed to him on the surface of the stone. Joseph also sometimes received revelations through the stone. 2. Joseph Smith practiced polygamy, and had as many as 33 wives or more. Some of these marriages were polyandrous, meaning that Joseph married women who were already married to other men. Some of Joseph's wives were teenage girls. Joseph was secretive about his various marriages. In fact, at one point he married two sisters (who had been brought into their home as maids) and neither knew that the other was married to Joseph. 3. There are varying accounts of the First Vision, including differences in who visited Joseph, what he had been praying about, what was said to him, and even when the vision took place. 4. Joseph Smith and the others with him drank wine while in Carthage Jail. 5. The Book of Abraham does not match the contents of the papyri it was supposedly translated from. In fact, not only is the text nothing more than ordinary funerary papers, but the papyri have also been found to have originated much later than Abraham's time. 6. Oliver Cowdery used a diving rod to receive revelation and translate. 7. Joseph Smith was a treasure seeker or money digger, who was often involved in efforts to search for buried treasure by means of folk magic (including the use of diving rods and peep stones). 8. Many changes were made to revelations in the Book of Commandments before they were reprinted as the Doctrine and Covenants. 9. Joseph Smith claimed to have translated a portion of the Kinderhook Plates which were later discovered to be a hoax. 10. Mormon settlers massacred over 100 unarmed men, women and children in the Mountain Meadows Massacre in southern Utah, in 1857. 11. There was a group of men in the early church known as the "Danites," who were known for attacking non-Mormons. 12. Changes have been made to the text of the Book of Mormon over the years. One of the most significant changes involved altering references that referred to Jesus as "God" into "the Son of God."

Dispelling the Anti-Mormon Myth

this is just a little bit thats on the web, but I was amazed, the LDS has been busy scrubbing the internet clean of what they call anti-mormonism.
But as a former mormon I suggest not confronting the lies but sharing the truth.... just share Christ, what it means to you to be saved and ask what are the differences in LDS beliefs... they have professionals countering all things they consider anti-mormon, but what it comes down to is: can you be saved and Not be a Mormon and does it matter if they know the truth. Ravi Zacharius has youtube videos where he was invited to speak to them. He never addressed their fallacies, he told them the gospel. They now have the fastest overturn rate in the country... although they don't tell anyone that bc they keep you on the roles unless you specifically ask to be removed. Which I did. God bless, andrea

Wow! What an awesome post! Thank you for sharing.

I thank God for the faith he has given you.

 

[christianmomof3]

I was told that due to the amount of information available on the internet - and while a lot of it is BS, there is certainly a fair amount of factual info as well - the LDS religion is losing membership over the fact that it is common knowledge that the Book of Mormon is based on made up history - the peoples referred to never existed - at all, not to mention that Joseph Smith was a philanderer who made up the religion so he could have multiple wives. Amazing - well - not if you look at it from the viewpoint of men who wanted multiple wives - but other than that - amazing that it still has so many members. I think they stay in because their religion teaches that they will go to hell or not get to be gods of their own planets if they quit and often it is the member's entire culture and family and everything and if they quit it they will be shunned and have no friends or family or anything left.

 

[Andrea411]

I was told that due to the amount of information available on the internet - and while a lot of it is BS, there is certainly a fair amount of factual info as well - the LDS religion is losing membership over the fact that it is common knowledge that the Book of Mormon is based on made up history - the peoples referred to never existed - at all, not to mention that Joseph Smith was a philanderer who made up the religion so he could have multiple wives. Amazing - well - not if you look at it from the viewpoint of men who wanted multiple wives - but other than that - amazing that it still has so many members. I think they stay in because their religion teaches that they will go to hell or not get to be gods of their own planets if they quit and often it is the member's entire culture and family and everything and if they quit it they will be shunned and have no friends or family or anything left.

Jos.Smith's first polygamous wife was his adopted daughter who was already pregnant.... there are many stories out there about him and what actually went on from people who left early in the church.... not to mention Brigham Young and his men that live on the moon and wear clothes like the pilgrims wore.... I am not kidding. But I could not find a reliable source for all this material and didn't feel like getting into all the garbage again. So many ex-mormons become atheists it is not funny. They become so disillusioned bc of the lies and the way their families treat them when they leave. I don't see people coming to Christ bc you prove their religion is a lie, they must be evangelized just like unbelievers... with grace, love, respect and kindness. Be blessed, andrea
PS: J Smith also married women who were already married to his followers - how disgusting he must have been and to think that they believe Jos Smith will be there to lead them into heaven...ugh. Only if their husband's allow it of course.. so sick. I can't witness to mormons bc I get so angry about all the lies they told me.... errrrrrrrrrrr
http://www.wivesofjosephsmith.org

 

[Osage Bluestem]

Jos.Smith's first polygamous wife was his adopted daughter who was already pregnant.... there are many stories out there about him and what actually went on from people who left early in the church.... not to mention Brigham Young and his men that live on the moon and wear clothes like the pilgrims wore.... I am not kidding. But I could not find a reliable source for all this material and didn't feel like getting into all the garbage again. So many ex-mormons become atheists it is not funny. They become so disillusioned bc of the lies and the way their families treat them when they leave. I don't see people coming to Christ bc you prove their religion is a lie, they must be evangelized just like unbelievers... with grace, love, respect and kindness. Be blessed, andrea
PS: J Smith also married women who were already married to his followers - how disgusting he must have been and to think that they believe Jos Smith will be there to lead them into heaven...ugh. Only if their husband's allow it of course.. so sick. I can't witness to mormons bc I get so angry about all the lies they told me.... errrrrrrrrrrr
http://www.wivesofjosephsmith.org

That's truly awful....

 

[Rhamiel]

Osage Bluestem
we have some serious theological differenced between us
but I thank God for the good work you are doing with your friend
I pray that God brings him out of the LDS sect

 

[AmericanSamurai]

I actually dated a Mormon woman for about three months. At the time I actually prayed to God that the relationship would last. lol. It was at the same time that I started getting serious about Bible study(I wasn't Reformed yet), and I told the gal what I really thought about Mormonism. Needless to say, she didn't want to hear it.

 

[Apologetic_Warrior]

I actually dated a Mormon woman for about three months. At the time I actually prayed to God that the relationship would last. lol. It was at the same time that I started getting serious about Bible study(I wasn't Reformed yet), and I told the gal what I really thought about Mormonism. Needless to say, she didn't want to hear it.

Sounds like something I would have done when I was single. I played with the same fire, except we met online, and it was obvious to me she wasn't interested when we met in person for the first time. What can I say, I wasn't the type to "put out", and the wrong women just don't go for that.

 

[JM]

Link removed.

 

[Apologetic_Warrior]

I don't see people coming to Christ bc you prove their religion is a lie, they must be evangelized just like unbelievers... with grace, love, respect and kindness. Be blessed, andrea[/url]

You are exactly right, and it seems even we Calvinists sometimes forget about the "golden chain", the necessity of monergistic regeneration and the power of the Gospel of Christ, when it comes to evangelizing people in cults. We can plant seeds, but God gives the growth, according to His will.

I'll be honest, I do not have what it takes to be a street apologist. It requires a degree of grace, love, respect, and kindness that I lack, and a thoughtful quick mind, which I also lack. I have listened and watched others enough to know how lacking I truly am. While God the Holy Spirit could empower me to do it, it's not something that "comes natural", or part of my everyday normal experience.

 

[ButterflyPoette]

Mormons need to know that there will be false prophets in the last days.
For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
(Matthew 24:24).

To the Law and to the Testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.
Isaiah 8:20

I think Mormons believe stuff they do just because they think Joseph Smith was a true prophet. They believe in him because he had supernatural things happening to him. He also had some special insight on certain things. He was against smoking and drinking.
Yet just because someone claims to love God, knows certain things he/she isn't supposed to know, doesn't mean this person is a true prophet. Satan has counterfeits, and Joseph Smith was one of those.