Solving the

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Solving the Mormon Puzzle
By Cky J. Carrigan, Ph.D. Interfaith Evangelism,
NAMB ccarrigan_at_namb.net www.ontruth.com
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Who are the Mormons?
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• Official Name The Church of Jesus Christ
• of Latter-day Saints
• Founder 1st President Joseph Smith, Jr.
• (1805-44)
• 2nd President Brigham Young (1801-77)
• Current Leader Gordon B. Hinckley (b. 1910)
• Headquarters Salt Lake City, Utah

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• Membership 11 million in more than 160
• countries, about half in N. America
• 26,000 Congregations called Wards
• or Branches
• Adding 2 new meeting houses each day
• worldwide
• Missionaries 61,000

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• Annual Converts (not including children of
• Mormon Families) 275-300 thousand
• Mormon membership has doubled in the
• southern U.S. since 1980
• Membership is expected to exceed
• 65 million by 2080 (conservative est.)
• Membership may even reach 500 million by
• 2040 if present growth rate is sustained
• (optimistic est.)

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• Temples Worldwide 106 (as of May 2001)
• 18 more under construction
• Total Assets 30 billion dollars
• Annual Offerings 5 billion dollars
• If LDS Church was a U.S. corp., it would
• fall in the middle of the Fortune 500

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Mormon History
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• Joseph Smith, Jr
• Born Dec. 23, 1805
• Near Sharon, VT
• Raised Palmyra, NY

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Josephs God Vision

• Foundational Event
• Spring of 1820
• In the Sacred Grove
• Joseph unsure about which Church to join
• Father Son appeared bodily
• Son said all churches are false and apostate

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Serious Problems

• Joseph only witness
• Joseph only 14
• Joseph did not record this event until 1838
• Eight different versions of this story
• Historical Inconsistencies...
• Identified Wrong Methodist Pastor

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Moroni Visions

• Deceased Book of Mormon character, Moroni,
  appears to Joseph 5 times
• First appearance, Sep. 21, 1823
• Moroni informed Joseph about Golden Tablets
  hidden in the Hill Cumorah

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Moroni Visions

• Moroni showed the Golden Tablets to Joseph the
  next day
• Moroni appeared 4 more times over the next 4
  years
• Joseph permitted to remove the tablets and began
  to translate them on Sep. 22, 1827

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John the Baptist Vision

• Spring 1829
• John the Baptist appears to Joseph Smith Oliver
  Cowdery
• Johns father was a temple priest in the line of
  Aaron (Levi)
• John conferred the Aaronic priesthood on Joseph
  Oliver

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Peter, James John Vision

• Summer 1829
• Peter, James John were the First Presidency of
  the Apostolic Age
• They conferred the Melchizedek Priesthood on
  Joseph Oliver

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Restoration of the True Church

• April 6, 1830
• Peter Whitmers Farmhouse in Waterloo, NY
• True Church restored by Joseph after 1600 years
  of apostasy
• Constituted as Church of Christ with six members

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More Historical Events and Dates

• 1831 -- Main body migrated to Kirtland, OH
• 1831 -- Mission outpost established near
  Independence, MO
• 1836 -- First latter-day Temple dedicated in
  Kirtland (no works for dead here)
• 1838 -- Main body forced out of Ohio and
  migrated to Missouri
• 1838-39 -- Mormon-Missouri Wars

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More Historical Events and Dates

• 1839 -- Forced out of Missouri migrated to
  Nauvoo, Illinois (on Miss River)
• June 7, 1844 --
• Mormon dissidents published the one and only
  edition of the Nauvoo Expositor charging Mormon
  leaders with poligamy
• June 10, 1844 --
• Joseph influenced the City Council to order
  the destruction of the N.E. press because it
  was a public nuisance

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• Joseph Hyrum Smith several other Mormon
  leaders were arrested for the destruction of the
  printing press and taken to jail in Carthage

• June 27, 1844 Joseph and Hyrum Smith are killed
  during a gun battle by rogue militia in the
  Carthage Jail

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• Brigham Young
• 2nd President
• 1846-47 -- Leads westward migration from Nauvoo
• July 24, 1847 -- Brigham Young founds Mormon
  settlement in Salt Lake City, Utah

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What Do Mormons Believe?
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What Do Mormons Believe About God?

• The Heavenly Father is an Exalted Man
• with a physical body of flesh and bones
• God is not a Trinity in the historic sense
• The Father, Son and Holy Ghost are
• three absolutely separate Gods
• God is NOT one in essence, but in
• purpose only

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The Biblical and Reasonable Doctrine of
the TRI-UNITY of GOD
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• Six Propositions on the Tri-Unity of God
• The Father is God
• The Son is God
• The Holy Spirit is God
• God is ONE
• The Bible is True and Doesnt Contradict
• The Trinity is a Unique Mystery with No
  Exact Analogy

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• The Tri-Unity 0f God is NOT . . .
• Oneness in Purpose Only (Mormons)
• One Person Known by 3 Titles
• Three Parts of One Whole (Egg, Pie)
• One God in 3 Modes, Manifestations, Forms
• (Oneness Pentecostals)
• Expressed by the Formula 1 x 1 x 1 1
• Expressed by the Formula 3 1

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The Tri-Unity IS Expressed By The Formula
3 1
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The Tri-Unity of God
Three-Ness of Tri-Unity
One-Ness of Tri-Unity

• God is THREE in
• Person-hood
• Eternal Father
• Eternal Son
• Eternal Holy Spirit

• God is ONE in
• Essence
• Or Being-ness
• Or Nature

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Father
is
is not
is not
GOD
is
is
Holy Spirit
Son
is not
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Temple Square Visitors Center Salt Lake City
What Do Mormons Believe About The Son of God?
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What Do Mormons Believe about the Son of God?

• Jesus Christ is the Twice-Sired Son of the
  Heavenly Father (First Second Estate)

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What Do Mormons Believe about the Son of God?

• Jesus was the spiritual first-born Son of God in
  the first estate
• Like all of mankind, Jesus was a product of
  sexual intimacy between the Heavenly Father and
  His Heavenly Wife in the first estate

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What Do Mormons Believe about the Son of God?

• There was a time when the Son of God was not the
  Son of God (First Estate)
• There was a time when the Son of God was not God
  (First Estate)

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What Do Mormons Believe about the Son of God?

• The fullness of salvation, exaltation, is not the
  result of the work of Christ
• His suffering and bleeding in Gethsemane and on
  the Cross (not his death) only provides for the
  immortality of all people in a universal
  resurrection
• His suffering does not provide for the fullness
  of salvation for anyone

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• Genuine Christianity
• Asserts the Full Deity of Christ
• Asserts the Full Humanity of Christ
• Asserts the Two Natures Uniquely
• Unified in the One Person
• of Christ

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What Do Mormons Believe about the Scriptures and
Authority?

• Revelation is continuing
• In addition to the Bible translated correctly,
  three other Standard Works are regarded as
  authoritative
• The Book of Mormon
• The Doctrine and Covenants
• The Pearl of Great Price

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What Do Mormons Believe about the Scriptures and
Authority?

• All other official comments by any general
  authority are authoritative as well
• General Authorities include
• The President-Prophet
• Councilors of the First Presidency
• The Twelve Apostles
• Members of the Quorum of the Seventy

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What Do Mormons Believe about Man?

• All men are the spiritual offspring of the
  Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother in the first
  estate
• All men are begotten of heavenly parents and
  reared in heavenly mansions prior to coming to
  the earth in temporal bodies
• Man is born basically good, a god in embryo

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What Do Mormons Believe about Man?

• As man is, God once was as God is, man may
  become (Pres. Lorenzo Snow)
• A Man is a baby God
• A God is an mature Man
• Deity and Humanity are not different natures,
  only different degrees

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What Do Mormons Believe about Sin?

• Sin is disobedience to Gods laws and eternal
  life is given to those obedient to Mormon
  teaching
• Adams fall was a part of Gods redemptive plan
• Adam did not fall away from innocence but toward
  it

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What Do Mormons Believe about Sin?

• The fall was necessary in order for man to
  advance toward deification through the knowledge
  of good and evil
• The fall was also necessary in order for man to
  be fruitful and multiply (a necessary condition
  for Godhood)

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What Do Mormons Believe about Salvation?

• There are several levels of salvation
• Jesus suffering and bleeding in Gethsemane and
  on the Cross only restores immortality to all men
  (the lowest level of salvation)
• Jesus suffering and bleeding do not provide the
  fullness of salvation, called exaltation, for
  anyone

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What Do Mormons Believe about Salvation?

• Exaltation (godhood, or entrance into the
  celestial kingdom) is only available to Mormons
  by means of obedience to Mormon teachings...
• Faith
• Baptism and reception of Holy Ghost
• Endowments (Temple ceremony)
• Celestial marriage
• Tithing

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What Do Mormons Believe about Salvation?

• The Fullness of Salvation, or Exaltation includes
  these blessings...
• Eternal presence with the Heavenly Father and
  Jesus Christ
• Deification (becoming very God)
• Eternal family relationships (husbands, wives
  and children sealed)
• Fullness of joy

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What Do Mormons Believe about Salvation?

• All the attributes of Deity all power, glory,
  dominion, and knowledge
• Baptism, endowments and marriage for the dead may
  also produce postmortem salvation for non-Mormons

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What Do Mormons Believe about Life After Death?

• After death, all men go to an intermediate
• place of the dead to await the resurrection
• There are three Levels of Glory after the
• resurrection
• The Telestial Kingdom (lowest level
• that is superior to the earth) is the abode
• of the wicked and ungodly

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What Do Mormons Believe about Life After Death?

• The Terrestrial Kingdom (middle level) is the
• abode of non-Mormons who were honorable,
• but deceived by crafty preachers and
• Mormons that were not entirely obedient
• The Celestial Kingdom (highest level) is the
• abode of Exalted Ones reserved only for
• the most obedient Mormons

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What Do Mormons Believe about Life After Death?

• In addition to the three levels of glory,
• Perdition is the abode of Satan, Demons,
• Mormon Apostates, and Murderers who
• did not atone by a bloody execution for their
• murder
• Perdition may not be an eternal state

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What Do Mormons Believe about the Church?
Based on Josephs God Vision of 1820
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What Do Mormons Believe about the Church?

• The LDS Church is the ONLY one true church
• on the face of the earth
• It is the restored church of Scripture
• Jesus told Joseph Smith that all other churches
• were wrong in belief and practice . . .
• their creeds were an abomination and all
• who professed those creeds where corrupt

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Summary of Vast Mormon Differences

• Vastly Different Doctrine of God
• Vastly Different Doctrine of the Son of God
• Vastly Different Doctrine of Scripture and
  Authority
• Vastly Different Doctrine of Man

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Summary of Vast Mormon Differences

• Vastly Different Doctrine of Salvation
• Vastly Different Doctrine of Life After Death
• Vastly Different Doctrine of the Church

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How Do Faithful MormonsPractice Their Religion?

• Tithe and attend their Wards Meetings
• on Sundays
• Observe the Lords Supper (bread and water)
• called Sacrament Services each Sunday
• and meet for various other training sessions
• Convene weekly family sessions (Mon.) in
• their homes where they teach and reinforce
• Mormon beliefs

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How Do Faithful MormonsPractice Their Religion?

• Generally moral and law abiding
• Encourage and equip their young adults and
• retirees to devote two years to missions
• (eighteen months for young women)
• Secure and Maintain Temple Recommend
• Do Temple Works--for self and the dead

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Evangelism Strategies

• Prepare yourself with a thorough grounding
• in genuine Christian doctrine and in the most
• prominent features of Mormon doctrine
• and terminology
• Emphasize Objective Biblical doctrines about
• Christ and Salvation as a governor over
• subjective feelings or personal religious
• experience, because much of the Mormon
• myth is based on the testimony of their own
• personal religious experience

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Evangelism Strategies

• Emphasize that salvation according to the
• Bible alone...
• is salvation by grace alone
• through faith alone
• that results in good works
• Use the Bible to undermine confidence
• in Mormon teachings

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Evangelism Strategies

• Use the Book of Mormon itself to
• undermine confidence in Mormon
• teachings
• Use Mormon History to undermine
• confidence in key Mormon concepts
• and Mormon prophets Joseph Smith
• and Brigham Young

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What Can You Do?

• Prepare to Defend the Genuine Gospel
• Pray for Mormons Caught in this
• Devilish Deception
• Pray for Ministries Devoted to Mormon
• Evangelism

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Solving the Mormon Puzzle
By Cky J. Carrigan, Ph.D. Interfaith Evangelism,
NAMB ccarrigan_at_namb.net www.ontruth.com