Tenents of Mormanism

GOD
We believe in God the Eternal Father, and in His son Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost (Articles of Faith, 1).

This cannot rationally be construed to mean that the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost are one in substance and in person (Talmage. Articles of Faith, p. 40).
There are three Gods. . . separate in personality, united in purpose, in plan, and in all attributes of perfection (McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, p.670).

God is an organized being just as we are who are now in the flesh. He is a progressive being, and possesses the capacity of eternal increase. Perhaps once a child and mortal like ourselves (Gospel Doctrine, p. 64; AF, p. 529; Journal of Discourses, 1 :123).

The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man's (Doctrine and Covenants, 132:27).

God is not omnipresent. . . cannot be "physically present in more than one place at a time" (Talmage, DC, p. 48).

Every man who reigns in celestial glory is a god to his dominions (McConkie, MD, p. 322).

There never was a time when there were not Gods and worlds (Young, Discourses, pp. 22-23).

Each god, through his wife or wives, raises up a numerous family of sons and daughters (Pratt, The Seer, 1, no. 3, p. 37).

The doctrine of a plurality of Gods is prominent in the Bible. The heads of the Gods appointed our God for us (Teaching of the Prophet Jos. Smith, PR. 370-72).

The eternal Father is a progressive Being. . . the capaCity of eternal increase (Talmage, DC, p.529).

JESUS CHRIST
Among the spirit children of Elohim, the firstborn was and is Jehovah or Jesus Christ, to whom all others are juniors (Smith, GO, p. 70).

By obedience and devotion He attained to the pinnacle of intelligence which ranked him as a God, even in his pre-existent state (McConkie, MD, p. 192).

Jesus Christ was the executive in the work of creation, aided by Michael (or Adam), Enock, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Peter, James, John, Joseph Smith, and others (McConkie, MD, p.169).
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He was born of the virgin Mary. Elohim is literally the Father of the Spirit. and of Jesus Christ, and also of the body (Talmage, DC, p. 466).
He is essentially greater than all others, by reason of His unique status in the flesh as the offspring of a mortal mother and an immortal, or resurrected and glorified Father.

He died on the cross, rose again, and is coming again in power and glory to set up his kingdom on earth (Talmage, DC, p. 472).

HOLY SPIRIT
The Holy Ghost is "a personage of Spirit" He does not have a body of flesh and bones, like the Father and the Son (DC, 130:22).

He is "the influence of deity, the light of Christ, or of Truth" (Smith, GO, p. 60).

He "can only be in one place at one time" although he "emanates from Deity" like "electricity, or the universal ether. . . which fills the earth and the air, and is everywhere present" (McConkie, MD, pp. 359, 753).

SIN
Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy (1/ Nephi 2:25).

Adam deliberately and wisely chose (to touch the forbidden tree) and partook of the fruit (Talmage, DC, p. 65).

Adam cried, "Because of my transgression my eyes are opened, and in this life I shall have joy" (Pearl of Great Price, Moses 5:10-11).

We ought to consider the fall of our first parents as one of the great steps to external exaltation and happiness (Mormon Catechism).

We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam's transgression (AF,2).

REDEMPTION AND SALVATION
We believe that through the atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel (AF, 3).

The first principles and ordinances of the gospel are: Faith on the Lord Jesus Christ; repentance; baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; and laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost (AF, 4).

Even the unbeliever, the heathen, and the child who dies before reaching the years of discretion, al/ are redeemed by the Savior's self-sacrifice from the individual consequences of the Fall (Talmage, p. 58)
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Included are "beasts, fowls of the air, and fishes of the sea" (DC, 29:23-25).

The resurrection of the body (of every living thing) is one of the victories achieved by Christ through His atoning sacrifice (Talmage, p. 58).
They who believe not your words, and are not baptized in water in my name, for the remission of their sins. . . shall be damned (DC, 84:74).

Baptism is. . . the very gateway into the kingdom of heaven, an indispensable step in our salvation and exaltation (Bennett, Why I Am a Mormon, p. 124).

Baptism by proxy for the dead is a major activity. "The Saints are. . . redeeming their (unbaptized) dead from the grasp of Satan" (Morgan, Plan of Salvation, p. 8).

Celestial marriage is the gate to an exaltation in the highest heaven within the celestial world (McConkie, MD, p. 118).


Those who attain the highest sphere, the Celestial, will "have spirit children in the resurrection, in relation to which offspring they stand in the same position that God our Father stands to us" (MD, p. 257).

The second sphere, the Terr\Jstrial, will be inhabited by "accountable persons who die without law" or who "did not accept the gospel" or with LOS who "were not valiant" (MD, p. 784).

t.Aost of the adult people who have lived since Adam (having rejected Christ and lived wickedly) will go to the "Telestial Kingdom" (MD, p. 778).

Perdition is for Satan, and the Sons of Perdition, angels who rebelled with him. Also for men who commit the unpardonable sin (Talmage, DC, p.410).

"Endless punishment" is "God's punishment" and may endure for "one hour, one week, or one year, or an age" (Morgan, The Plan of Salvation).


Moody Bible references
'Fraser, Gordon H. Is Mormonism Christian? Chicago: Moody, 1957, 1977.
Hoekema, Anthony A The Four Major Cults. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1963
Horne, Charles M Salvation. Chicago: Moody, 1911.
Kirban Salem. Armstrong's Church of God. Doctrines of Devils, no. 1. Chicago: Moody, 1973.
-. Christian Science. Doctrines of Devils, no. 4. Chicago: Moody, 1974. .
-. Jehovah's Witnesses. Doctrines of Devils, no. 3.Chicago: Moody, 1973.
-. Mormonism. Doctrines of Devils, no. 2. Chicago: Moody, 1973.
Lewis, Gordon R. Confronting the Cults. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1966.
Martin, Walter R. Kingdom of the Cults. Rev.ed. Minneapolis
Bethany Fe!., 1968.
Martin, William J. The Deity of Christ. Chicago: Moody, 1974.
Peterson, William .J. Those Curious New Cults. New Canaan, Conn.: Keats, 1973.
Robertson, Irvine. What the Cults Believe. Chicago: Moody,1966.
Sanders, J. Oswald. Satan Is No Myth. Chicago: Moody, 1975,
Vas, Howard F., ed. Religions in a Changing World. Rev. Chicago: Moody, 1961.
Wright, J. Stafford. Christianity and the Occult. Chicago: Moody,1972.

Not bad. Few questions, though. For starters:

pah said:

(Talmage, DC, p. 48).

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"DC?" What's this referring to? I can't find it.

Each god, through his wife or wives, raises up a numerous family of sons and daughters (Pratt, The Seer, 1, no. 3, p. 37).

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The Seer isn't the best authority on LDS doctrine. Orson Pratt got a little carried away with polygamy, and was excommunicated for preaching false doctrine. He wrote The Seer during those days of apostasy, and it's full of bizarre stuff like this.

We ought to consider the fall of our first parents as one of the great steps to external exaltation and happiness (Mormon Catechism).

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Never heard of a "Mormon Catechism." Who wrote it? When was it distributed?

If we're gonna get into the basic doctrines of the church, let's start with a single source, preferably one that the church itself recognizes as an authority. When a newspaper reporter asked Joseph Smith about the basic beliefs of the church he was organizing, Joseph wrote out the "Thirteen Articles of Faith," which since that day have formed an outline for teaching and expounding the basic points of doctrine. James E. Talmage gave a series of lectures on these Articles of Faith, which were later compiled and expanded to form the book of the same name.

The articles can be found on the LDS church website. (I tried to paste them here, but the footnotes confused everything )

Anyway, the assortment of quotes you've collected has large gaps. For example, the section on "sin" talks a lot about Adam's transgression, without a word about anything that an LDS person might consider a "sin!" If it weren't for the last quote from the Articles of Faith, one might get the impression that Latter-Day Saints didn't believe anyone but Adam could sin, which is far from the truth.

I've got a lot more, but I need to go to bed. Thanks for posting this, I'll see what else I can find to help expand the topic.

The "facts" that are in the Opening Post are from a tract put out by the "Word of God" and were compared to their "truth". The OP was meant as a point of departure and i'm glad to see that you have corrected some of it.

DC, I beleive, means "Doctrines of Devils" published by the same Moody Bible Institute that produced the tract - presumably from the Word of God. There is a bit of bias in the whole thing.

pah- what are you learning from. learn to spell and. DC is obviously doctrine and covenants. not DD. c'mon man. Read the Book Of Mormon and you will see that a Seer is the greatest gift. and the prophets in the LDS church do have these gifts. something which no other church can even claim.

pah said:

Moody Bible references
'Fraser, Gordon H. Is Mormonism Christian? Chicago: Moody, 1957, 1977.
Hoekema, Anthony A The Four Major Cults. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1963
Horne, Charles M Salvation. Chicago: Moody, 1911.
Kirban Salem. Armstrong's Church of God. Doctrines of Devils, no. 1. Chicago: Moody, 1973.
-. Christian Science. Doctrines of Devils, no. 4. Chicago: Moody, 1974. .
-. Jehovah's Witnesses. Doctrines of Devils, no. 3.Chicago: Moody, 1973.
-. Mormonism. Doctrines of Devils, no. 2. Chicago: Moody, 1973.
Lewis, Gordon R. Confronting the Cults. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1966.
Martin, Walter R. Kingdom of the Cults. Rev.ed. Minneapolis
Bethany Fe!., 1968.
Martin, William J. The Deity of Christ. Chicago: Moody, 1974.
Peterson, William .J. Those Curious New Cults. New Canaan, Conn.: Keats, 1973.
Robertson, Irvine. What the Cults Believe. Chicago: Moody,1966.
Sanders, J. Oswald. Satan Is No Myth. Chicago: Moody, 1975,
Vas, Howard F., ed. Religions in a Changing World. Rev. Chicago: Moody, 1961.
Wright, J. Stafford. Christianity and the Occult. Chicago: Moody,1972.

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Just to clarify, have you ever been a member of the LDS church? If so, then why are all these sources taken from what appears to be what is referred to as "anti-mormon" literature? If you have never been LDS then I don’t see how you can claim to site the "tenements of LDS doctrine". Are you proposing that the LDS church is a cult?

:sarcastic I am mostly curious as to why you posted the information that you did......

Apparently not brave enough to make a reply??

I think a brief discussion on just what constitutes official Mormon doctrine would be in order here.

Virtually every religion has a means of distinguishing the individual beliefs of its members from the official doctrines of the Church. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is no exception. In attempting to understand LDS beliefs, it is important to keep this in mind.

The LDS canon is comprised of four books which we consider to be scripture: The Holy Bible (KJV), The Book of Mormon, The Doctrine and Covenants, and The Pearl of Great Price. If you can find a teaching in one of these four books, you're talking doctrine. We refer to these four volumes of scripture as "the Standard Works" for the simple reason that they are the "standard" by which all other teachings must be measured.

There is one exception to this rule of thumb. We believe that Christ's Church is led today by living prophets, through whom God speaks to His children. Prophets receive revelation directly from God. Whenever a revelation is doctrinal in nature, it is always presented to the general Church membership for a sustaining vote. It is given either through the First Presidency of the Church (the President and his two counselors) or through the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles as a single, united entity. Once the doctrine has been accepted by the members of the Church it becomes doctrine. At some point in time it will more than likely be added to The Doctrine and Covenants. This was the case, for instance, with the 1978 revelation granting the Priesthood to all male members of the Church.

In other words, any LDS General Authority (i.e. the governing body of the Church or the First Presidency, the Quorum of the Twelve and the Seventy) speaking on his own and not on behalf of the entire body, may be thought of as presenting his own opinion or interpretation of doctrine. While we believe them to be inspired, they are human beings with opinions of their own. The Prophet Joseph Smith probably said it best when he stated, "A prophet is only a prophet when he is acting as such." Nevertheless, we believe that these men have been called by God and are directed by the Spirit to teach what is good and true. Their advice to us, if followed, is most likely to benefit our lives.

Therefore, the following sources are not to be considered doctrinally binding:

Articles of Faith (by Talmage)
Mormon Doctrine (by McConkie)
Journal of Discourses
The Seer
Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith
Mormon Catechism (whatever in the world that might be)
Why I am a Mormon (by Bennett)
The Plan of Salvation (by Morgan)

At least some of these writings contain much which is true and valuable. However, as every Latter-day Saint knows, they are to used used only in conjunction with the four volumes of scripture I have previously mentioned and do not, in and of themselves, define LDS doctrine.