Joseph Smith received revelation regarding which church to join and was told to join none of them, they were all wrong and he was to establish God's ONLY TRUE church, thus wiping out 18 centuries of christianity, all from a 14yr old boy.These revelations are the basis for beliefs still taught today. Pres Gordon Hinckley said, "doctrines won't change", but over the years, they have. Brigham Young said about Smith, "Whosoever confesseth that Joseph Smith was sent of God...that spirit is of God; every spirit that does not confess God has sent Joseph Smith, is of Antichrist. There is a document that "proves Joseph Smith was a 'glass looker' and WAS arrested, tried and FOUND GUILTY by a justice of the peace in Bainbridge, NY,in 1826." In Nauvoo Smith joins the Masonic Lodge, explaining many similarities between Mormon and Masonic rituals. Although some would have us believe that Joseph Smith received the temple ceremony by revelation from God, the evidence is againtst it and clearly shows that he borrowed heavily from Masonry. They are persecuted alot, mostly due to the 1831 revelation extablishing the practice of polygamy. Sources differ on how many wives Smith had, a conservative estimate is 20 wives and 47 children. 1844 Smith runs for pres of US. A newspaper started by some excommunicated Mormons, 'The Nauvoo Expositor, exposed the Mormons' polygamous practices and criticized Smith's political aspirations. In essence, the paper put Smith on trial in the eyes of his followers, so a group of Smith's followers broke into the newspaper office, destroyed the press and burned copies of the paper. Joseph and Hyrum were arrested, put in jail in Carthage, and while awaiting trial a mob stormed the jail and killed them. The next pres. Brigham Young gets them to Utah and, in 1890, 59yrs after the first pres/prophet got the revelation authorizing polygamy, another pres/prophet, Wilford Woodruff, rescinded it and six years later Utah becomes a state, convenient.
Jesus came to america, preached to the ancient inhabitants, instituted the doctrines and practices of his 'true church duly recorded on the golden plates, but the people were destroyed before they could establish the new order, so the world had to wait 1400yrs for this restoration. So the mission is to proclaim the restoration of the priesthood and rituals of the 'true church', and the eligibility for the attainment of deity by all Mormons. The Bible teaches of a falling away, before Christ returns for the church, that the church won't rule and reign until the millenial kingdom that JESUS brings about after the tribulation.
On the Bible. Your three books are put on a higher plane than the Bible, because these are 'newer' revelation, your 8th article of faith weakens the position of the Bible by saying,"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. To say the Bible is the word of God, "as it is translated correctly" allows your leaders to reject the Bible when they wish. Archaeologistsfind no support for the BOM. Qualified sources state "The book is untrue historically and scientifically," and "The Smithsonian Institution has never used the BOM as a scientific guide. Smithsonian archeologists see no direct connection between the archeology of the New World and the subject matter of the book." The BOM has not been found accurate in historical comments either as a guide to exploration or in agreeing with known history. If a book is to guide us in truths about the world we have not yet seen, it should be accurate about the world we have seen. By contrast, the Bible has been used as such a guide in archaeological exploration in the Middle East, particularly in Palestine, has been found to be geographically and historically accurate. Also the Bible was given by GOD to men in their common language, where the BOM ws supposedly translated from Egyptian hieroglyphics.Many verses are stated exactly as in the KJV of the Bible, 1611. The BOM contains at least 25,000 words from the KJV Bible. Many believe the actual basis for the BOM was a book by Solomon Spaulding called Manuscript Found, rather than revelation. This evidence is in the book, Who Really Wrote the Book of Mormon? and includes evidence such as testimonies, handwriting analyses and statements from Smith and Spaulding and their relatives. Another debate is over the Book of Abraham.Many scholars believe and have shown that the original papyrus fragment Joseph Smith used as the basis for the Book of Abraham has been identified and that this fragment is in reality a part of the Egyptian 'Book of Breathings'. It is a pagan text and contains absolutely nothing concerning Abraham or his religion. Wallace Bennett said, " We recognize the Bible's limitations as well as its value. We do not ascribe final authority to any of its statements. Obviously, we do not accept the idea that with the adoption of the present contents of the Bible the Whole canon of scriptures was closed for all time. Anyway, by placing your presidents/prophets as the source of authority in directing the church, you thus put your books above the Bible and reject the Bible as final authority and as such are not in line with biblical Christianity. Paul said even if an angel from heaven came and told you a different gospel, not to believe them.
On God. Mormons hold doctrines that are contrary to the Bible about God. The Bible teaches God is one yet exists in 3 persons. But your theology is polytheistic, teaching in effect that the universe is inhabited by different gods who procreate spirit children which are in turn clothed with bodies on different planets, Elohim being the god of this planet.Although Brigham's teaching that Adam is our heavenly Father is now officially denied by Mormon authorities, they still hold firm to the belief that our God is a resurrected, glorified man. The Bible says that the Father is SPIRIT Jn 4:24, yet Mormon scripture says "The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man's" Joseph Smith believed God "was once a man as we are now, and is an exalted man." He taught that God once dwelt on a planet as a man and through self-effort He eventually became God. This led Smith to teach that all good Mormons could become gods; "You have got to learn how to be Gods yourselves; to be kings and priests to God, the same as all Gods have done. This theology humanizes God and deifies man. Orson Hyde, a contemporary of Smith and a recognized theologian of the Mormon church, said, "Remember that God, our heavenly Father, was perhaps once a child, and mortal like we ourselves, and rose step by step in the scale of progress, in the school of advancement; has moved forward and overcome, until He has arrived at the point where He now is. Such views reveal that the Mormon scriptures not only add to the Bible, but often contradict what the Bible clearly teaches. God has always been God.
On Jesus. You teach different than the Bible, you teach that all men existed in eternity as spirit beings before they were given physical bodies, that Christ was simply a spirit being like the rest of us before He came to the earth, On one hand you ascribe deity to Christ and the other bring him down to a human level, mankind is placed on the same level as Christ. Also if He is deity, then you teach polytheism, where we believe in one God in three forms. In Doctrine and Covenants Jesus says I was in the beginning with the Father and am the firstborn...Ye were also in the beginning with the Father. They do teach Christ was created in the same sense that we were, as spirits, and even believe Lucifer was a son of God even as Jesus was a son of God. The Bible, teaches mankind did not exist in eternity past. man did not exist until he was created by God. Gen1:26-27, we were created on the 6th day, of CREATION, by contrast, Jesus was not created; He did exist in eternity, John 1:1,14. Your view of the virgin birth is unscriptural too, Brigham Young said, "He (Christ) was not begotten by the Holy Ghost...Jesus, our elder brother, was begotten in the flesh by the same character that was in the garden of Eden, and who is our Father in Heaven." Jesus is my Lord, not my brother. The Holy Ghost, not God in human form,made Mary conceive. Young taught that Adam, is God, the only GOd worshiped by the Mormons, most Mormons are unaware it was taught throughout his presidency. Ed Decker, a Latter-day Saint for 20 years who is now seeking to reach Mormons with the Gospel, says of the god of the Mormons; "He is said to physically live with his many wives near the star Kolob, where he procreates spirit children with his wives through natural means. Mormonism teaches this god came to earth in the flesh and was the physical father of Jesus." This teaching opposes the scriptural teaching that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit. Matt. 1:18, lUKE 1:35. It has been taught that Jesus was a polygamist or at least had to marry because in Mormon scripture it says unmarried people, and couples whose marriages are not sealed by the temple endowments, can become only 'angels in heaven," If their marriages are sealed, "Then shall they be gods." If, Christ had not married in this life, He would not rise above the postion of angel. Brigham Young believed Jesus was a polygamist, believed Mary,Martha and Mary Magdalene were his wives. He taught the wedding at Cana was Christ's. Note, Smith and Young were "prophets in the same sense as are Abraham, Moses, Peter, and other such biblical leaders." No where in the Bible does it teach polygamy, although at times men had many wives, this was not God's will Deut. 17:14-18. Instead it teaches one man cleaves to one woman til death separates them. I Cor. 7:1, Tim. 3:2, Titus 1:5-6.
Sincerely,
Joeboonda