First and fore-most I need to say that many Mormons are very nice and respectful people that truly think what they believe is true. I hold nothing but love and respect for the people of the Mormon belief. Many of them do not realize the “cult like” beliefs that the Mormon church believes, and many do not even realize that the Mormon church teaches some of the things that will be addressed here.
I do have “The Book of Mormon” as it is called. I have not read the entire thing, from front to back, but I have read parts of it. Below You will find different reasons as to why I believe Mormonism is a false religion.
Mormonism fits the characteristics of a cult:
- cults tend to be founded by a “charismatic” leader of some kind. Joseph Smith founded Mormonism. Claiming that he had a “new” word/revelation from God. He found Tablets somewhere in New York. I believe it was near Manchester, New York (according to the book of Mormon itself). He was led there by an angel named “Moroni”. The book of Mormon was translated from these plates, that Joseph Smith found and translated. Also these plates that Joseph Smith apparently found were given back to this Angel Moroni and so nobody has ever seen these plates since Joseph Smith found and translated them. This angel was apparently a human before that was killed in a battle of some kind and when he died he became an angel. (This is not scriptural/biblical).
- It is common in Cults that the leader/founder cannot be wrong or challenged in any way, shape or form. Mormons tend to get very upset if you say anything against Joseph Smith. Mormons have this great reverence for Joseph Smith, that leads them to believe that there is no way he could of been wrong at all and nobody has any right to challenge him.
- Joseph Smith was a false prophet. He made many prophecies that never came true. One prophecy was that Jesus would return in 56 years from the time he made the prophecy. Since Joseph Smith lived in the mid-late 1800’s clearly this did not happen. He also prophesied that ALL NATIONS would be involved in the American Civil War that happened in the 1800’s. Clearly the American Civil war never became a World war and it stayed amongst only Americans. There are more and I do believe all of these Prophecies can be found in a book known as “Mormon Doctrine and Covenants”.
All these things are reasons that I think make Mormonism a “cult”. Mormons also have a lor of un-biblical teachings such as there teachings on Heaven.
Mormonism teaches that ONLY Mormons can go to the Highest level of Heaven where God exists (Celestial Kingdom). Eventually, if you are in the Celestial Kingdom you will spiritually evolve into another God the Father. In other words the God that we believe in now was at one point just a Human who spiritually evolved into God the Father.
The next kingdom is the Terestrial Kingdom. This is where non Mormons go but are “good people”. If you’re a good person you go to this kingdom. No matter what your beliefs are.
The last kingdom is the Telestial Kingdom. This is where “bad people” go. No matter your beliefs if you’re a “bad person” you go to the Telestial Kingdom after 1000 years of being in “hell”.
All of this can be found in “Mormon Doctrine and Covenants” and non of it is biblical at all. From the above I continue on with the thoughts about there belief in Heaven and say that Mormon Doctrine teaches that believing and accepting Jesus is not enough to save you.
Look at the different levels of Heaven that Mormons believe in as an example. I as a Christian believe that Jesus is enough to save me. Thus I believe that I will spend eternity in Heaven with God the Father. Mormons teach that I will have eternal life, but it will not be in the Heaven that God the Father is in because I am not a Mormon I do not get to go to the Celestial Kingdom where God the Father resides, instead I go to a “lower” level of Heaven.
Now Did you know that to get to the Celestial Kingdom you not only need Jesus’ approval, but you need Joseph Smiths approval as well? You can read about this in his “Journal of Discourses volume 7”. Many Mormons have no idea this is even true. Again non of this is biblical and is not in scripture at all. It is contradicting to many things that Jesus himself said.
Mormonism teaches a false God. I mentioned this earlier that God the Father before Jesus walked the earth. God the Father walked the earth as a human with all of our limitations, and eventually “spiritually evolved” into God the Father that we know of now from the Bible. Mormon Doctrine teaches that God has bones and flesh, even though Scripture clearly says that God is Spirit (John 4:24). Jesus said in Luke 24:39 that a “spirit does not have flesh and bones” (ESV)
To end this off I just would like to share other teachings of the Mormon church that are not biblical at all. Mormonism teaches that God is limited in time and space (like us). Jesus and Satan are brothers, Mary (Jesus mother) was not a virgin. Jesus was married, God was once a regular man. Only Mormons are “truly saved”. These things can be read in Mormon Doctrine. You can find all of this on the internet if you search into it.
Again I want to stress now that I hold absolutely no hate for Mormons and most of them are very nice and loving people. Many of them also though do not realize that some of the things that I mentioned above are the teachings of the Mormon church.
I pray for any Mormon that may be reading this that you look into all of this yourself and then truly realize the “heretical” teachings of this group you’re a part of. Realize that God’s word (the Bible) is in direct contradiction with many of the things your church teaches and be aware of them so that you can now discern for yourself whether you wish to believe these things which directly contradict God’s Holy Word. Or choose for yourself to go into a Christian Denomination that teaches the true Word of God.
via (holyboyandrew.tumblr)
Here’s another look on Mormonism someone else (if you know who it’s written by let me know)
When Mormon missionaries (properly called Latter Day Saints or simply “LDS”) come to your door they will often offer a free copy of the Book of Mormon and tell you about its author Joseph Smith. Smith, they will say, translated the Book of Mormon from golden plates he dug up in a hill in New York in the early 1800’s. This is supposed to confirm his calling from God as the new prophet on the Earth in these latter days. Further, they will tell you that the Holy Ghost will confirm the truth of the Book of Mormon truth by producing good feelings in you. Next will come the invitation to “Read the Book of Mormon, pray, and ask God to show you it is true.” Of course you must do this with sincerity or it won’t work.
Before you fall to your knees, there are some things you need to know that they are not telling you (and won’t unless you ask). The first concerns many LDS beliefs that separate them from historical, orthodox Christianity. These are not found in the Book of Mormon. In fact, there is really very little in that book that is doctrinally disagreeable to orthodox Christians. The real meat of Mormonism is found in their other scriptures, The Doctrine and Covenants and The Pearl of Great Price. These books, however, Mormons do not hand out at the door - and for good reason. If people knew up front what they were really going to be asked to believe (things such as God once being a man, denial of the Trinity, Satan being Jesus’ brother, pre-existence of souls, etc.) they may not be quite so willing to put aside their skepticism.
The second thing to realize is that to accept the Book of Mormon, one is in fact accepting Joseph Smith as a prophet. So what about this test of a prophet? Isn’t it legitimate to “give this question up to God?” No, it isn’t. This is because God has already revealed His test for would-be Prophets, and it has nothing to do with prayer or feelings, and God has no obligation to answer prayers that he has already answered! We do not have to ask God whether or not we should rob a bank or murder someone. Rather, James 1:5 says “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God … and it will be given to him.” Wisdom is applied knowledge, not lack of it.
God never tells us to pray about what is true. When we want to know how tall a wall is, we don’t pray about it; we get something that we know is true (a ruler) and compare it to the wall. The Bible, God’s word, is true. That is our measuring stick for truth. See Acts 17:11, for example, which describes a group of people who were considered noble because when Paul came to them with the Christian message they “received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily, to see whether these things were so.”
Feelings are unreliable because they are subjective, easy to produce, and are not meant to discover facts but to tell us how we feel about facts. Psychological persuasion techniques, intensity, eye contact, or mere desire can produce feelings that feel real because they are real! But real feelings are still just letting us know how we are reacting to something, not the truthfulness of that thing. The Mormon missionary handbook specifically details these techniques and missionaries go through training on how to persuade people before they ever leave the house.
What are the biblical tests for a prophet? They are in God’s Word: Deuteronomy 18:21-22says, “You may say to yourselves, “How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the LORD?” If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the LORD does not take place or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him.” Did Joseph Smith ever claim “in the name of the LORD” that something would happen when it did not? Yes—many times in fact.
Joseph Smith prophesied that New York would be destroyed if they rejected the [Mormon] gospel (D&C 84:114-115). He also prophesied that the rebellion of South Carolina and war between the states would result in war being poured out upon all nations; slaves would revolt; the inhabitants of the earth would mourn; famine, plague, earthquake, thunder, lightning, and a full end of all nations would result (D&C 87). Oddly, this prophecy is the one most often cited by Mormons to prove Joseph Smith’s prophetic power!
Further, Deuteronomy 13:1-3 says that “if a prophet, or one who foretells by dreams, appears among you and announces to you a miraculous sign or wonder, and if the sign or wonder of which he has spoken takes place, and he says, ‘Let us follow other gods’ (gods you have not known) ‘and let us worship them,’ you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. The LORD your God is testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul.” Did Joseph Smith lead his followers to other gods? Yes.
Joseph Smith was a polytheist. History of the Church 6:474 records Smith stating, “I wish to declare I have always and in all congregations when I have preached on the subject of the Deity, it has been the plurality of Gods.” Joseph Smith declared that “God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens!” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 345). This is clearly not the biblical God.
Galatians 1:6-7 says that people may be “turning to a different gospel—which is really no gospel at all … trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.” And he pronounced a curse upon them for doing so. In Romans 1:16 Paul tells us that the gospel is “the power of God unto salvation” - that’s pretty important. Did Joseph Smith teach a “different Gospel”? Yes.
Mormons believe that the Book of Mormon contains the “fullness of the gospel.” The Book of Mormon says so itself in its introduction (see also Doctrines and Covenants 20:9; 27:5; 42:12; and 135:3). So what is the gospel according to Mormonism? It’s a tough question for many LDS to answer. According to Mormon apostle Bruce McConkie, author of the book Mormon Doctrine, the gospel is “the plan of salvation [that] embraces all of the laws, principles, doctrines, rites, ordinances, acts, powers, authorities, and keys necessary to save and exalt men.” In other words, the whole of Mormon theology. In the Mormon gospel we see belief + repentance + baptism + laying on of hands + temple work + mission work + church ministry + tithing + ceasing from sin + abstaining from the use of intoxicants and strong drinks and tobacco and caffeine + confessing Joseph Smith as Prophet + temple marriage + baptism for the dead + genealogy research … the list could go on and on and on. Only upon completion of all these things may Mormons attain to the third and highest level of heaven thus achieving the ultimate goal of the Mormon gospel - godhood. (see McConkie, Mormon Doctrine 116-117; Book of Mormon [3 Nephi 27:13-21]; Doctrines of Salvation 1:268; 18:213; The 4th Article of Faith; Smith, Gospel Doctrine pg. 107; Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses 3:93; 3:247; 9:312; Gospel Principles 290; Doctrine and Covenants 39:5-6; 132:19-20). In essence, Christ’s death means nothing more to a Mormon than the gaining of the ability to be resurrected so that their works may be judged.
While we cannot judge another person’s motives, we can and must judge what a person does or says. Joseph Smith, and hence the Book of Mormon, fails the twin tests of Deuteronomy 13 and 18. God takes false prophets very seriously. Deuteronomy 13:1-3says, “That prophet or dreamer must be put to death, because he preached rebellion against the LORD your God…; he has tried to turn you from the way the LORD your God commanded you to follow. You must purge the evil from among you.” Deuteronomy 18:19-21 says, “If anyone does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name, I myself will call him to account. But a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded him to say, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, must be put to death…” And Galatians 1:8-9 says, “But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!”
The gospel is God’s power to bring us to Him. He will not stand for those who pervert it. He has given us the ability and the responsibility to discern whether or not this is happening. We must carefully investigate the claims of the LDS if we are to follow what God has commanded. In fact, we are invited to judge by Mormons themselves: “Convince us of our errors of doctrine, if we have any.” LDS Apostle Orson Pratt, The Seer, p.15
Witnessing to Mormons - what is the key?
As a preface to this answer, please see our article on Mormonism and what Mormons believe. As Christians, we always want to use the Bible and its timeless truths as our primary tool in witnessing the love of God and salvation through Christ. One of the problems with trying to witness to Mormons is that they believe that the Bible was hopelessly corrupted through the years and is no longer reliable. Although we can say with confidence that the Scriptures are most certainly not corrupted—due to the manuscript evidence in the form of the Dead Sea Scrolls, several codices of the various portions of the biblical text, and thousands of other manuscripts—Mormons are most likely not going to agree to that. Therefore, approaching Mormons from another direction is the most effective.
It is important to understand that Mormons use many of the terms that Christians use, such as salvation, justification, heaven, and others. But their definitions are quite different from the biblical definitions we are familiar with. For instance, Mormons say they believe in salvation by grace through faith in Christ. But their idea of salvation is inclusive—everyone has been saved by Christ so that they will live eternally, but it is each person’s works which will determine where they will spend eternity and the extent of their eternal blessings. Clearly, salvation as the Bible explains it is not the same as the Mormon idea of salvation. This is why arguing doctrine with a Mormon is rarely successful.
The key to reaching the heart of a Mormon is to understand that while they may appear confident and self-assured on the outside, internally many are filled with stress and doubt because they are continually striving for perfection. This is partly driven by Mormon doctrine and partly by family pressures. Family is extremely important to Mormons and living up to both family and church standards is a motivating factor to many Mormons. Deep down inside most Mormons is the fear of not being good enough, not measuring up. The question in every Mormon’s mind is “Am I worthy enough?” The best thing to do is to reinforce that doubt. Show them that by their own efforts, they are not even close to being worthy to stand before a holy God. This is the essence of the Christian gospel, the bad news that has to precede the good news. Show them from the Scriptures that all their “righteous acts are like filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6), that “no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law” (Romans 3:20), and that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). If the Mormon will admit to these truths, he/she should be open for the good news of the true gospel of Jesus Christ, that real righteousness only comes at the cross, where God exchanged our sin for the righteousness of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21). No other righteousness can stand before God on Judgment Day. Once a Mormon, or anyone else for that matter, admits these truths, he/she is well on the way to understanding true salvation.
While it is important for us to be diligent in our proclamation of truth, it is also important for us to put the results of witnessing to others in the hands of our God, who is able to “save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through Him” (Hebrews 7:25). We can rest assured that ultimately it falls upon the Spirit to sway the hearts of those who are lost and open their eyes to Truth. Our job is to “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15), trusting God with the words that we are to say, praying diligently for the souls of those we witness to, and leaving the results to Him.
(via http://iwilltrustinyou.tumblr.com/post/18379989160/witnessing-to-mormons-what-is-the-key)
