A Return to Leaving the Mormon Church:

Who is correct? Shouldn't we go to church on Sunday instead of Saturday? Should it be leaven bread, un-leaven bread, wine or grape juice at communion? Should we have bishops? Priests? Deacons? Royal Rangers? How old is too young to teach? Can I not tithe 10% at church, 10% to charity, and 10% of my time volunteering somewhere and still be honoring God? Should we speak or not speak in tongues? ay women be pastors? If a member sounds like Chuck Berry but is attempting a piece within the range of Streisand, should she be allowed a solo in the Christmas Cantata?

These are a few things perhaps tossed around in the Christian community. We humans love a good debate, and Christians are seekers of truth, whether it's from the pulpit or the sidelines, taking notes. But what, of these questions, will affect a church member's eternal standing with their God? None of them. Speaking in tongues, baptism by immersion as the Baptists do, or by sprinkling as the Methodist do, and even believing in the laying on of hands, or not believing it should be practiced, will not have an effect on one's eternal salvation. So what does?

This is where the meat of the Christian doctrine is found. Christians believe in the infallible Word of God. They believe in the Deity of Christ. They believe in the Trinity. They believe in the virgin birth of a Savior Who was the Incarnate God, Who died a physical death, was buried, and they believe in a complete bodily resurrection of their Christ. Furthermore, they believe He will return to rapture the church one day. Christians believe in salvation by grace, through faith that Christ's blood can and will cover their sins when they stand before God. They believe that what separates them from their Creator presently is a sin nature, brought upon mankind through Adam, and that their Savior was of Adam's lineage, come to redeem mankind by being the spotless sheep sacrificed once and for all. They believe their Savior was sinless while in the flesh, and they say He is the same yesterday, today, and forever, unchanging. Though they believe that baptism is not a complete must to be saved, it is a public proclamation, and an example of being bathed in their Savior's cleansing blood, an example of the atonement for and washing away of their sins, that every believer should take part in as a portrayal of their faith and obedience to Jesus's commands.

That said, how is it that someone actually has the gall to decide if a church is Biblically sound or not? Christians believe that when a group or organization appoints themselves as being the only bearers of truth, or of greater eternal reward than other doctrines, and they stand on the Bible as proof of their claims, they should be exactly that. And if they lay claim which offends another, they should look to rectify the hurt, if not renounce the teachings of the false teacher who laid the racist, offensive, hurtful or false claims. That seems fair enough.

So what's so different about the Mormons? Aren't the Mormons a mainstream Christian denomination? They say they are Christians. Are they?

Joseph Smith, Prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints:

"God is in the still small voice. In all these affidavits, indictments, it is all of the devil--all corruption. Come on! ye prosecutors! ye false swearers! All hell, boil over! Ye burning mountains, roll down your laa! for I will come out on the top at last. I have more to boast of than ever any man had. I am the only man that has ever been able to keep a whole church together since the days of Adam. A large majority of the whole have stood by me. Neither Paul, John, Peter, nor Jesus ever did it. I boast that no man ever did such a work as I. The followers of Jesus ran away from Him; but the Latter-day Saints never ran away from me yet (Joseph Smith, History of the Church, Vol. 6, pp. 408-409).

So, this founder of the Mormon Church claims to have done more than Jesus Christ did. That's pretty bold, if you ask me. It leads one to wonder if the Mormon Jesus is different than the One found in Christianity and the Bible. Who is the Mormon Jesus? First, we must establish Who the Christians believe Him to be.

The Jesus of the Bible, (Second Person of the Holy Trinity, born of a virgin birth, Who never sinned, suffered for the sins of the world, died, rose, and is returning to earth one day), is: prayed to (Acts 7:55-60; Psalm 116:4 and Zech. 13:9 with 1 Cor. 1:1-2); is worshiped (Matt. 2:2,11; 14:33; 28:9; John 9:35-38; Heb. 1:6); is called God (John 20:28; Heb. 1:8).

The Jesus of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints:

"I have given you a few leading items upon this subject, but a great deal more remains to be told. Now, remember from this time forth, and for ever, that Jesus Christ was not begotten by the Holy Ghost." (Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 1, page 51).

The Mormon Jesus's blood cannot atone for all sin: "There is not a man or woman, who violates the covenants made with their God, that will not be required to pay the debt. The blood of Christ will never wipe that out, your own blood must atone for it . . . " (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 3, page 247; see also, Vol. 4, pp. 53-54, 219-220.)

The Mormon Jesus is the sexual product of god and Mary: "The Father had a Son, a natural Son, his own literal Seed, the Offspring of his body" (Bruce McConkie, The Promised Messiah, pg.355).

"As far as this life is concerned, [Jesus] was born of Mary and of Elohim; he came here as an offspring of that Holy Man who is literally our Father in heaven. He was born in mortality in the literal and full sense as the Son of God. He is the Son of his Father in the same sense that all mortals are the sons and daughters of their fathers" (Bruce McConkie, Mortal Messiah 1:330 Note: "Elohim" is the who the Mormons believe is god.)

"Christ Not Begotten of Holy Ghost ...Christ was begotten of God. He was not born without the aid of Man, and that Man was God!" (Doctrines of Salvation, Joseph Fielding Smith, 1954, 1:18).

"Elohim is literally the Father of the spirit of Jesus Christ and also of the body in which Jesus Christ performed His mission in the flesh ..." (First Presidency and Council of the Twelve, 1916, God the Father, compiled by Gordon Allred, pg.150).

"When the time came that His first-born, the Saviour, should come into the world and take a tabernacle, the Father came Himself and favoured that spirit with a tabernacle instead of letting any other man do it." (Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 4, Page 218.)

"The birth of the Savior was as natural as are the births of our children; it was the result of natural action. He partook of flesh and blood -- was begotten of his Father, as we were of our fathers." (Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 8, page 115).

"As far as this life is concerned, [Jesus] was born of Mary and of Elohim; he came here as an offspring of that Holy Man who is literally our Father in heaven. He was born in mortality in the literal and full sense as the Son of God. He is the Son of his Father in the same sense that all mortals are the sons and daughters of their fathers" (Bruce McConkie, Mortal Messiah 1:330).

The Mormon Church declares they do not believe in the same Jesus that Christianity does:

"In bearing testimony of Jesus Christ, President Hinckley spoke of those outside the Church who say Latter-day Saints 'do not believe in the traditional Christ.' 'No, I don't. The traditional Christ of whom they speak is not the Christ of whom I speak. For the Christ of whom I speak has been revealed in this the Dispensation of the Fullness of Times. He together with His Father, appeared to the boy Joseph Smith in the year 1820, and when Joseph left the grove that day, he knew more of the nature of God than all the learned ministers of the gospel of the ages.'" (LDS Church News Week ending June 20, 1998, p.7 )

Brigham Young seemed to believe Joseph Smith was Jesus Christ:
"...no man or woman in this dispensation will ever enter into the celestial kingdom of God without the consent of Joseph Smith." (Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 7, p. 289).

"...and he that confesseth not that Jesus has come in the flesh and sent Joseph Smith with the fullness of the Gospel to this generation, is not of God, but is Antichrist." (Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 9, p. 312).

"The fleshly body of Jesus required a Mother as well as a Father. Therefore, the Father and Mother of Jesus, according to the flesh, must have been associated together in the capacity of Husband and Wife; hence the Virgin Mary must have been, for the time being, the lawful wife of God the Father. (Orson Pratt, The Seer, page 158, 1853.)

What a Mormon prophet says can be taken as their doctrine because it is commanded to be taken as equal as is scripture from God: "I know just as well what to teach this people and just what to say to them and what to do in order to bring them into the celestial kingdom...I have never yet preached a sermon and sent it out to the children of men, that they may not call Scripture. Let me have the privilege of correcting a sermon, and it is as good Scripture as they deserve. The people have the oracles of God continually." (Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 13, p. 95.)

"The fleshly body of Jesus required a Mother as well as a Father. Therefore, the Father and Mother of Jesus, according to the flesh, must have been associated together in the capacity of Husband and Wife; hence the Virgin Mary must have been, for the time being, the lawful wife of God the Father. (Orson Pratt, The Seer, page 158, 1853.)

And the God of Mormonism?

"The Father is a glorified, perfected, resurrected, exalted man who worked out his salvation by obedience to the same laws he has given to us so that we may do the same." (McConkie, Bruce R. A New Witness for the Articles of Faith. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 1985. p. 64)

"Man and God are of the same race, and it is within the power of righteous man to become like his Father, that is to become a holy Man, a Man of Holiness." (Mormon Doctrine, pp. 465-466)

"This Holy Man, the Father of us all, who reigns supreme and is a saved being , ordained and established a plan of salvation so that his Firstborn and all his spirit children might advance and progress, become like him, have all power, know all things, live in the family unit, having eternal increase of their own - or in other words, that they might gain for themselves immortality and eternal life." (A New Witness, p. 704)

So, the jesus of Mormonism was created by celestial sex between god and his goddess wife, who used to be people from another world (Mormon Doctrine by Bruce McConkie, pp. 192, 321, 516, 589). Jesus is the literal spirit brother of the devil and of you and I (McConkie, pp, 192, 589). Also, in Mormon theology, God has a body of flesh and bones (Doctrine & Covenants, 130:22), as does his wife and together they produce spirit babies in heaven who inhabit human bodies on earth. Mainstream Christianity? You decide. You will not easily find Mormon doctrine in the Book of Mormon, Doctrine & Covenants, and The Pearl of Great Price, however. Mormon Doctrine is taught by Mormons of high standing: prophets, apostles, members of the 70 Quorum.

So what else did the Prophets teach?

Christianity is of Satan: "Myself and hundreds of the Elders around me have seen its [Christianity] pomp, parade, and glory; and what is it? It is a sounding brass and a tinkling symbol; it is as corrupt as hell; and the Devil could not invent a better engine to spread his work than the Christianity of the nineteenth century." (John Taylor, 3^rd Prophet/President, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 6, page 167).

The earth was born from parent earths: "Does the earth conceive? It does and it brings froth. If it did not, why do you go and put your wheat into the ground? Does it not conceive it?.... Where did the earth come from? From its parent earths. Well, some of you may call that foolish philosophy. But if it is, I will throw out foolish things, that you may gather up wise things. The earth is alive. If it was not, it could not produce." (Heber C Kimball, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 6, page 36).

Brigham Young would become president of the USA:"The Church and kingdom to which we belong will become the kingdom of our God and his Christ, and brother Brigham Young will become President of the United States." (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 5, page 219).

God was Adam who brought one of his wives to Eden, but was also actually Michael the Archangel: "Now hear it, O inhabitants of the earth, Jew and Gentile, Saint and sinner! When our father Adam came into the garden of Eden, he came into it with a celestial body, and brought Eve, one of his wives, with him. He helped to make and organize this world. He is Michael, the Archangel, the Ancient of Days! about whom holy men have written and spoken -- He is our Father, and our God, and the only God with whom we have to do. Every man upon the earth, professing Christians or non professing, must hear it, and will know it sooner or later." (Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 1, page 50).

Anyone opposing Polygamy would be damned: "Now if any of you will deny the plurality of wives, and continue to do so, I promise that you will be damned." (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 3, p. 266). Also, "The only men who become Gods, even the Sons of God, are those who enter into polygamy." (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 11, page 269).

There are men living on the moon: Joseph Smith said that there are men living on the moon who dress like Quakers and live to be nearly 1000 years old. (The Young Woman's Journal, Vol. 3, pages 263-264.)

What about the Mormon views on the black race, as referred to in a previous AC member's article? The documentation supporting teachings far worse than "no soul within" is littered throughout the history of the LDS doctrine, unfortunately:

Joseph Fielding Smith: "That negro race, for instance, have been placed under restrictions because of their attitude in the world of spirits, few will doubt. It cannot be looked upon as just that they should be deprived of the power of the Priesthood without it being a punishment for some act, or acts, performed before they were born." (The Way to Perfection, page 43.)

"Ham, through Egyptus, continued the curse which was placed upon the seed of Cain. Because of that curse this dark race was separated and isolated from all the rest of Adam's posterity before the flood, and since that time the same condition has continued, and they have been 'despised among all people.' This doctrine did not originate with President Brigham Young but was taught by the Prophet Joseph Smith .... we all know it is due to his teachings that the negro today is barred from the Priesthood." (The Way to Perfection, pages 110-111.)

John Taylor: " . . . after the flood we are told that the curse that had been pronounced upon Cain was continued through Ham's wife, as he had married a wife of that seed. And why did it pass through the flood? Because it was necessary that the devil should have a representation a upon a the earth as well as God;.... " (Journal of Discourses, Volume 22, page 304.)

"When he (Satan) destroyed the inhabitants of the antediluvian worlds, he suffered a descendant of Cain to come through the flood in order that he might be properly represented upon the earth." (Journal of Discourses, Volume 23, page 336.)

"As a result of his rebellion, Cain was cursed with a dark skin; he became the father of the Negroes, and those spirits who are not worthy to receive the priesthood are born through his lineage." (Mormon Doctrine, 1958, page 102.)

"According to Mormon history and authoritative Mormon teachers, the black race, is a cursed race because they were not faithful to God in their first estate (the pre-existent life with God). Hence, when they are born they are born in black skinned families. The early Mormon church was highly prejudicial against black people. And though there has been a change in attitude to blacks as of June 9, 1978 when they were finally allowed into the Mormon priesthood, it cannot be denied that Mormonism was, up until very recently, a segregated church. At the time the devil was cast out of heaven, there were some spirits that did not know who had authority, whether God or the devil. They consequently did not take a very active part on either side, but rather thought the devil had been abused, and considered he had rather the best claim to the government. These spirits were not considered bad enough to be cast down to hell, and never have bodies; neither were they considered worthy of an honorable body on this earth." A speech by Elder Orson Hyde, delivered before the High Priests' Quorum,, in Nauvoo, April 27th, 1845, printed in Liverpool, page 30."

"The very fact that God would allow those spirits who were less worthy in the spirit world to partake of a mortal body at all is further evidence of his mercy." Mormonism and the Negro, part I, pages 48-50.

"It is the Mormon belief that in our pre-mortal state there were a large number of individuals who, due to some act or behavior of their own in the pre-existence, forfeited the right to hold the Priesthood during their mortal lives...the Negro is thus denied the Priesthood because of his own behavior in the pre-existence." The Church and the Negro, pages 42-43.

"As a result of his rebellion, Cain was cursed and told that "the earth" would not thereafter yield him its abundance as previously. In addition he became the first mortal to be cursed as a son of perdition...The Lord placed on Cain a mark of a dark skin, and he became the ancestor of the black race. (Moses 5; Gen. 4; Teachings, p. 169)." Mormon Doctrine by Bruce McConkie, page

"Shall I tell you the law of God in regard to the African race? If the white man who belongs to the chosen seed mixes his blood with the seed of Cain, the penalty, under the law of God, is death on the spot. This will always be so." Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 10, page 110.

"...the church went to court on several occasions to block Negroes from moving into the San Francisco neighborhood in which the headquarters was located." The Christian Century, Sept. 29, 1965, page 1184.

"The prophets have declared that there are at least two major stipulations that have to be met before the Negroes will be allowed to possess the Priesthood. The first requirement relates to time. The Negroes will not be allowed to hold the Priesthood during mortality, in fact, not until after the resurrection of all of Adam's children. The other stipulation requires that Abel's seed receive the first opportunity of having the priesthood....the last of Adam's children will not be resurrected until the end of the millennium. Therefore, the Negroes will not receive the Priesthood until after that time... this will not happen until after the thousand years of Christ's reign on earth." The Church and the Negro, 1967, pages 45-48.

Albert B. Fritz, NAACP branch president, said at a civil rights meeting Friday night that his organization promised not to picket the 133rd Semi-Annual General Conference of the Church on Temple Square. He added, however, that the NAACP will picket Temple Square, next Saturday if the Church does not present an 'acceptable' statement on civil rights before that day." Deseret News, Oct. 5, 1963.

"Some 3,000 students, led by the BSU, paraded peacefully on the school's campus in Seattle Monday over the issue of alleged racism at BYU." Deseret News, March 10, 1970.

"The demonstration was the latest in a series of protests against The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon) because the church bars Negroes from its priesthood." Deseret News, Jan. 10, 1970.

In June of 1978 the Mormon church officiated a 'revelation' stating that blacks could then hold the priesthood." (Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry, www.carm.com, Mormonism and the Negro: a Look at Their Historical Position.)

Brigham Young's comments on the black race:

"You see some classes of the human family that are black, uncouth, uncomely, disagreeable and low in their habits, wild, and seemingly deprived of nearly all the blessings of the intelligence that is generally bestowed upon mankind....Cain slew his brother. Can might have been killed, and that would have put a termination to that line of human beings. This was not to be, and the Lord put a mark upon him, which is the flat nose and black skin." (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 7, page 290).

"In our first settlement in Missouri, it was said by our enemies that we intended to tamper with the slaves, not that we had any idea of the kind, for such a thing never entered our minds. We knew that the children of Ham were to be the "servant of servants," and no power under heaven could hinder it, so long as the Lord would permit them to welter under the curse and those were known to be our religious views concerning them." (Journal of Discourses, Volume 2, page 172.)

"Shall I tell you the law of God in regard to the African race? If the white man who belongs to the chosen seed mixes his blood with the seed of Cain, the penalty, under the law of God, is death on the spot. This will always be so." (Journal of Discourses, Volume 10, page 110.)

So, not only is the jesus of the Mormon church too insipidly bloodless to save, but he is a racist who was conceived through pre-marital relations between a millionth-generation god and a human woman from earth. Nothing special, no miracles, just sex. As well, every Mormon man can obtain the godhood of the Mormon doctrine, receive his own planet one day, have polygamous goddesses as wives with which to create millions of spirit babies.... and if he decides to call his earthly wife from the grave, she can be in heaven with him, eternally pregnant, with his polygamous wives he also gets to call from the grave. A Mormon woman's salvation is dependent on her husband, who must look to Joseph Smith for entry into heaven. The Mormon Church's expectations of its women is borderline abusive, spiritually, but that would be another article, altogether.

Many Mormons do not know that their prophets taught the abovementioned doctrine. In all fairness, they certainly are not taught that their prophets were bigots, so we should be kind in our understanding of their position. They are not enemies of Christianity or your nice, down-home church. They were lied to also.