The Mormon Church

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The Mormon Church
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MORMONISM

• FOUNDER
• Joseph Smith, Jr. (1805-1844)

• DATE
• Founded the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
  Saints (LDS) in 1830 (Palmyra, New York)

• LOCATION
• Headquarters now in Salt Lake City, Utah

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MORMONISM
KEY WRITINGS

• The Book of Mormon

• Doctrine and Covenants

• Pearl of Great Price

• The Bible (King James Version only or Smiths
  Inspired Version)

• Authoritative teachings of Mormonisms prophets
  and other general authorities

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MORMONISM
WHO IS GOD?

• God the Father was once a man, but progressed
  to godhood.
• God the Father has a physical body, as does his
  wife (generally called Heavenly Mothers).
• No Trinity.
• Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are three separate
  gods.
• Worthy men may one day become gods themselves.

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MORMONISM
WHO IS JESUS?

• The Mormon Jesus is a separate god from the
  Father (Elohim).
• He was created as a spirit child by the Father
  and Mother in Heaven, and is the elder brother
  of all men and spirit beings. The place is called
  Kolob. If you could hie to Kolob is a Mormon
  hymn.

Bible
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MORMONISM
WHO IS JESUS?

• His body was created through sexual union between
  Elohim and Mary.
• He was married.
• His death on the cross does not provide full
  atonement for all sin, but does provide everyone
  with resurrection.

Bible
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MORMONISM
HOW TO BE SAVED

• No eternal life without Mormon church membership.

• People are resurrected by grace, but saved
  (exalted to godhood and eternal life) by works,
  which include
• faithfulness to church leaders
• Mormon baptism
• tithing
• Ordination to priesthood
• marriage
• temple endowment
• (new name, signs and tokens)
• After death a persons spirit ascends
• through levels and presents the signs
• and tokens to guardians of gates.

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MORMONISM
WHAT HAPPENS AFTER DEATH

• Eventually nearly everyone goes to one of three
  separate heavenly kingdoms, with some achieving
  godhood.
• Apostates and murderers go to outer darkness.
• An apostate is anyone who receives their
  endowment and falls away.

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MORMONISM
OTHER BELIEFS AND PRACTICES

• No alcohol, tobacco, coffee, or tea.
• Baptism on behalf of the dead.

• Two-year missionary commitment encouraged.

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MORMONISM
OTHER BELIEFS AND PRACTICES

• Secret temple rituals available only to members
  in good standing.
• Extensive social network.

• Men of African ancestry were not granted full
  access to Mormon priesthood and privileges until
  1978.

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MORMONISM
Organization

• The Mormon Church is organized under a complex
  priesthood theology
• The Priesthood of Aaron (offices of teacher and
  priest)
• The Priesthood of Melchizedek (all males over
  18,offices of elders, Seventies, high priests,
  patriarchs, apostles) highest authority the
  First Presidency (6 member board president, 3
  high priests and 2 counselors).
• The Mormon Church is divided into geographical
  divisions called stakes. Wards and
  Branches populate stakes by congregation size,
  with each ward having a meetinghouse
• In addition, LDS operates over 120 temples
  worldwide, where God is said to reside and where
  special ordinances take place.

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MORMONISM

• In addition to the Bible (KJV or Smiths
  Inspired Version only, LDS has added 3 books of
  Scripture
• The Book of Mormon (Another testament of Jesus
  Christ)
• The Documents and Covenants (Smiths
  revelations received between 1831 and 1843)
• The Pearl of Great Price (Collection of other
  inspired works including History of the
  Church and The Book of Abraham
• LDS claims these are equal to (even superior) the
  Bible. Articles of Faith VII states We
  believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as
  it is translated correctly we also believe the
  Book of Mormon to be the word of God.

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MORMONISM

• Mormons believe they must do two very important
  things
• Be baptized for the forgiveness of sin
• Be married for eternity
• Married for Eternity
• Binding in the world to come Mormon women
  cannot be saved unless married for eternity to a
  Mormon man. The celestial kingdom (Kolob) is the
  place where a mormon male can find and marry many
  more women and have spiritual babies.
• Marriage on earth marriage for time (A Mormon
  woman can be married to a non-Mormon on earth,
  but must be married to a Mormon man to get into
  heaven).
• Mormons practiced polygamy under Smith and
  Brigham Young as late as 1890 Wilford Woodruff
  (then president), was tried for polygamy, but had
  a revelation from God prohibiting the practice!
  But all church leaders continued to practice it.

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MORMONISM
Scriptural Response (Eternal Marriage)

• 1 Cor. 78-9, 32-35 Paul states But I say to
  the unmarried and to the widows that it is good
  for them if they remain even as I amOne who is
  unmarried is concerned about the things of the
  Lordbut one who is marriedhis interests are
  divided.
• Jesus stated in Matthew 2223-32 Teacher,
  Moses said, if a man dies having no children, his
  brother as next of kin shall marry his wife, and
  raise up children for his brothernow there were
  seven brothersBut Jesus .. said to them, You
  are mistaken, not understanding the Scriptures
  nor the power of God. For in the resurrection
  they neither will marry nor are given in
  marriage, but are like the angels in heaven
• These Scriptures make it clear that marriage will
  not be present in heaven and completely refutes
  this idea of celestial marriage

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MORMONISM
Mormon Beliefs (God developed from man?)

• Mormons believe that God was once a man,
  developed into godhood, and organized the
  universe (not created)
• DC 13022 The Father has a body of flesh and
  bones as tangible as mans the son also
• Smith taught there must have been a time when God
  the Father was not God, but in the beginning
  there were many gods and Man was also in the
  beginning with God. Intelligence, or the light
  of truth, was not created or made, nor indeed can
  be.
• Mormons teach that God did not actually create
  the heavens and earth, but merely re-organized
  preexisting matter.

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MORMONISM
Scriptural Response

• Scripture clearly refutes the idea that God was
  once a man
• Num.2319 God is not a man that he should lie
• John 424 God is spirit
• Concerning the development of God, and other
  gods
• Isa. 4310 Before Me there was no God formed,
  and there will be none after Me.
• Isa. 446-8 ..Thus says the Lord I am the
  first and I am the last, and there is no God
  besides Me.
• Malachi 36 For I, the Lord, do not change
• Concerning the creation that God merely
  organized
• Psalm 336,9 By the word of the Lord were the
  heavens made, and by the breath of His mouth all
  their host

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MORMONISM

• Mormons believe Jesus Christ was a separate
  god, he was married, and in fact was a
  polygamist!
• If none but God well be permitted to multiply
  immortal children, it follows that each god must
  have one or more wivesthere were several holy
  women that greatly loved Jesus, such as Mary and
  Martha, her sister, and Mary Magdalene, and Jesus
  greatly loved themif all the facts were written,
  we not doubt should learn that these beloved
  women were His wives (The Seer, Vol. 1, pg.
  158-159).
• Test coming next class on Mormonism
• 10 MCQ on Mormonism due next week

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MORMONISM

• Mormons teach that man will be joint heirs with
  Christ and exalted to godhood
• the same power, the same glory and the same
  exaltation, until you arrive at the station of
  God, and ascend the throne of eternal power, the
  same as those who have gone before. (King
  Follett discourse, 1844)
• The Bible Teaches the following
• The Scriptures do teach we will be joint heirs
  with Christ (Rom. 816-17, Gal. 326-27)
  however, being joint heirs and equality are two
  completely different things.
• Eph. 523-29 states Jesus is the head of the
  church, the body of Christ, of which we are
  members (and subject to Him)
• God is higher that man (Isa. 558-9) and Jesus is
  our authority and High Priest, not our equal
  (Heb. 726-29). Eternal life alone is more than
  we deserve!

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The Bible vs Book of Mormon

• Though Mormons attempt to discredit the Bible in
  favor of their other fully inspired Scriptures,
  the words of Paul disagree
• All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable
  for teaching, for reproof, for correction for
  training in righteousness so that the man of God
  may be adequate, equipped for every good work?
• The Scriptures referred to here is the faith
  which was once for all handed down to the
  saints. (Jude 3) Anyone adding to this faith
  is subject to Gods wrath (Rev. 218).
• The number of ancient manuscripts supporting the
  true Scriptures we hold in our hands today, far
  outnumber any other valued writing both in
  quality (some dating as early as 100 AD) and
  sheer number (over 5,000 support documents).

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The Book of Mormon (How Translated)

• Unlike the original autographs of the Bible, the
  original (1830) first edition of the Book of
  Mormon exists today and LDS claims it to be
  perfect and free of any error.
• The procedure guaranteeing this accuracy
  supposedly involves Joseph Smith finding 2 gold
  plates and translating into English using an
  instrument (2 stones as spectacles the Urim
  and Thummim
• The Lord caused each word spelled as it is in
  the Book to appear on the stones in short
  sentences or words, when Joseph had uttered the
  sentenceand the scribe had written it properly
  that sentence would disappear and another appear.
  If there was a word wrongly written or even a
  letter incorrectthe writing would remainJoseph
  would require the scribe to spell the reading of
  the last spoken and thus find the mistakewhen
  corrected the sentence would disappear as usual.
  (Oliver Huntington Journals 1842-1900, Salt Lake
  City, UT pg. 168)

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MORMONISM

• Interesting Points
• Alma 710 states that Jesus was to be born in
  Jerusalem, while Matthew 21 says He was born in
  Bethlehem.
• Helaman 1420, 27 darkness was upon the earth
  for 3 days Luke 2344 says darkness was for 3
  hours.
• Esther 134-35 or BOM At the tower of Babel the
  Jaredites had a separate language, Gen. 111 All
  were one language.
• Mormon was the last surviving Nephite who hid the
  golden plates. The Lamanites were cursed dark
  from God and killed off the Nephites. Laman and
  Nephi were brothers who came over with their
  father Lehi and their families. The Book of
  Mormon says that all native americans were of
  Jewish descent.

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• 10 MCQ and Test