For the last couple of weeks I have been thinking about the belief system of Mormons. I have never met a Mormon that was not a kind person. They have incredible discipline in their beliefs much like Muslims. Very strict rules and guidelines. I had never had an interest to find out more about the Mormon religion, but now Mitt Romney may be the GOP presidential nominee. I want to know the background of what shapes a man and his beliefs.
Here are the list core beliefs
1. Undergarments
2. 10% full tithe must given to the church
3. No alcohol
4. No caffeine
5. No tobacco
6. Baptizing of the dead (The Mormon church has one of the largest genealogy libraries in the world. My understanding of this is so they can research families to go back and save them through baptism after they have passed)
7. Men can become a God
8. Joseph Smith was equal in every way to Christ. The finding of the tablets was equal to the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ.
It has not been an easy task finding out exactly their belief system, because they are an extremely private religion. The book of Mormon changes a great deal. When a new president/prophet comes in he is viewed as having direct contact with God as much as Abraham did in the Old Testament. They believe there are three books to the testament of Jesus; old, new, and the book of Mormon. From what I can understand they have key scriptures that support their beliefs from the New Testament, but they are to live according to the book of Mormon. It appears to be a book of control over another from a man.
It can be deceiving when you ask a Mormon if they believe in Jesus. They always say yes, and they do believe in Jesus they just don’t believe he is their savior. They believe they can become a God through their deeds on earth. No one is God and no one can become God. Paul warned of this in the book of Galatians of false teachers and false churches of Christ. We cannot change scripture as much as we would like to. It is the living word of God.
“I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed. For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ. (Galatians 1:6-10 ESV)”
They do not believe in the Immaculate Conception. They believe God physically had sex with Mary, and therefore Christ was a half-God. They do not believe in the trinity. They believe Mary was married to God, as well as Joseph so she had multiple husbands. In one video I saw they actually believed that Christ and Satan were brothers and Elohim liked Jesus’ ideas better for the world. Elohim is the plural name for Gods; El would be one of the names for God.
Below is a question that a Mormon asked John MacArthur regarding if we could be a Christian and not believe in the trinity.
"I would answer, "No." If you don’t believe in the Trinity, then you don’t understand who God is. You may say the word “God” but you don’t understand His nature. Second, you couldn’t possibly understand who Christ is--that He is God in human flesh. The Incarnation of Christis an essential component of the biblical gospel, as John 1:1-14 and many other biblical passages make clear. To deny the Trinity is to deny the Incarnation. And to deny the Incarnation is to wrongly understand the true gospel."
http://www.gty.org/resources/Questions/QA519/Can-You-Be-a-Christian-and-Deny-the-Trinity
Joseph Smith quote regarding the conception of Christ.
Elohim: Name of God the father - A resurrected being from another planet who through eternal progression became a god, our god. He is married for eternity. "We are told in the scriptures that Jesus Christ is the only begotten son ofGod in the flesh....how are children begotten? I answer, just as Jesus was begotten of his Father. The Christian denominations believe that Christ was
begotten not of God, but of the spirit that overshadowed his mother. THIS IS
NONSENSE. Why will they not believe the Father when He says that Jesus Christ
is His Only Begotten Son? Why will they try to EXPLAIN THIS TRUTH AWAY and make mystery of it?" (as quoted from Joseph F. Smith, 'Box Elder Times,' Sep.
They base their belief man can become a god on the following scripture…
"For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many “gods” and many "lords”—yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.” 1 Corinthians 8:5-6
The following is about Joseph Smith
Early one morning in the spring of 1820, Joseph went to a secluded wood to ask God which church he should follow. As he was praying, as he recounted later, God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, appeared to him. This experience is called the First Vision in Mormonism and considered a pivotal event in the history of humankind, second only to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The importance of the event hinges on its definition as the beginning of the restoration of Christ's true gospel on earth, which was lost upon the death of the original apostles.
Later, in 1823, Joseph Smith said he was also visited by an angel named Moroni, who told him of an ancient record containing God's dealings with the former inhabitants of the American continent. Joseph was shown the forest location of the record's hiding place by the angel. However, he was also told that he should wait another four years before being able to obtain the record, and that until then he should return each year to the same place to receive further instructions. In 1827, Joseph was finally able to retrieve the record, which was inscribed on golden plates. Shortly after obtaining these golden plates, Joseph Smith began translating its words by the "gift of God."
The result of his translating efforts became known as the Book of Mormon—Another Testament of Jesus Christ, which was published in March of 1830. Following the publication of the Book of Mormon, on April 6, 1830, the prophet finally organized the Church and became its first president.
It is very hard to leave the Mormon church. There is a great deal of fear for ex-members. I have attached some links for you to read if you want to.
http://www.realmormonhistory.com/
http://www.lds-mormon.com/adam_ond.shtml
http://www.lds-mormon.com/changod.shtml
http://www.lds-mormon.com/lkl_00.shtml
http://www.mormoncurtain.com/start_here.html
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