“For even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.” (2 Corinthians 11:14)
The founding of the Mormon religion goes something like this. As a teenager, Joseph Smith, Jr., became troubled by what he saw as the divisiveness of the Christian Church. And so he sought answers and began to pray.
Now praying is okay as long as one knows to whom he’s praying to. Just because one “prays” doesn’t necessarily guarantee that the being on the receiving end is God. And if you add to that you’re not even a believer in the first place, well, it’s a disaster in the making.
Joseph Smith was not a Christian. Therefore, when he prayed to “God,” he was an easy target for deception.
Yes, there is a devil. (Genesis 3:1-7) Yes, he seeks to deceive. (Revelation 12:9) And yes, if you are susceptible to believing a lie and available to promote that lie to others, Satan will come knocking at your door. (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12)
Smith’s deceptions came in the form of supposed “visions,” the first of which was when, while in “prayer,” he perceived “[two] personages (supposedly God the Father and God the Son) [standing] above [him] in the light.” (The Pearl of Great Price, 17-19; Understanding the Cults by McDowell and Stewart, pg 84) These “personages” told him that he shouldn’t join any Christian denomination for they all were wrong. Instead, they directed him to found his own church, the likes of which would be the only true church of God.
Now in a second vision about three years later, Smith was again visited by a being who this time had a name. The exchange between him and “Moroni” is also recorded in the Mormon document: “The Pearl of Great Price.” There, Smith says…
I had a second vision. A personage appeared at my bedside who was glorious beyond description. He said that he was a messenger sent from the Presence of God, and that his name was Moroni; [and] that God had a work for me to do. …He told me that a book had been deposited, written on golden plates, giving account of the former habitations of this continent (America) and containing “the fullness of the everlasting Gospel” as delivered by the saviour to the ancient inhabitants of this land. …I was shown exactly where the plates had been deposited. That same night the heavenly messenger appeared again twice, each time repeating the same message. The next day I went to a hill outside the village where we lived…and found the golden [plates] in a stone box. (The Pearl of Great Price, 50-54; Understanding the Cults by McDowell and Stewart, pg 84-85)
It was from these “plates” that Joseph Smith ultimately translated what was to become known as the book of Mormon, a book that is supposedly an additional testament of Jesus Christ. And a new religious system was born.
And so what might Jesus say to Joseph Smith (Mormonism’s founder)?
I believe Jesus might answer with a Bible verse found in the New Testament book of Galatians…
But even though we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to that which we have preached to you, let him be accursed. (Galatians 1:8)
How could Jesus say such a thing? I thought Jesus was a nice guy. I thought Jesus was tolerant. I thought Jesus loved everybody.
Well, He does love everybody, but not with the kind of “love” that most often the world portrays. Jesus’ love speaks the truth. Jesus’ love is not politically correct. In the end the masses will not accept it. (John 1:11; Matthew 7:13b)
(Book of Mormon via wikipedia.)
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Bold post Mike! I have conflicted feelings about this religion. My aunt, uncle and cousins are Mormons. When my aunt and uncle married, I was not invited to their ceremony and they told me I was “unclean.” I was just 12 years old. When my grandfather died they “claimed him from the dead” and “made him mormon.” My grandfather hated the mormon religion and all they represented, so doing this against his will made me furious. Where in the bible does it say Christ-followers are unclean and not allowed into church? Where in bible does it say dead people can be claimed into a religion?
@anon: If a mormon had the power to baptize people who have passed through the veil, then a mormon has the real power of God. If not, then whatever they did in their temples is of no effect, and has no meaning whatsoever.
If you accept that mormons have the power of God, and actually converted your deceased loved one to their faith…
What good is baptizing dead ppl that we will never see alive again. When the Mormons won’t baptize the ppl that are living. Strange act sounds like necromancy.
@J.D.
The temple ceremonies are administered under the condition that the attendees not reveal them with a sacred oath to God.
What does that say of the character who obtained these ceremonies? And if this person is an oath breaker, how do you know his representations are completely factual? Why would you trust a source who would enter into an oath with God and later violate that same oath?
It is interesting to note that Joseph Smith was given visions and given a new law from an “angel” type of person AND Muhammad was also given visions and given a new law from an “angel” type of person. I do not think that Satan changes his tactics much – he doesn’t have to – because we, as humans, often fall for the same tricks over and over again.
Luv your blogs brother. And as to God and Jesus having bones and flesh, Mr. Trevors; Jesus Christ of Nazareth said God is a spirit therefore we must worship in spirit and truth. He also said flesh and bone can not inherit the kingdom of God.
http://www.itbn.org/index/detail/lib/Networks/sublib/TBN/ec/tqNGhqMjrpCU-Qf2JhcBcHtUD8bBrMJP#ooid=tqNGhqMjrpCU-Qf2JhcBcHtUD8bBrMJP Please watch. Only angels who are associated with God Almighty have His name “EL” in theirs. Such as Gabriel, Michael. EL means the One True God, or Jehovah. http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=H410&t=KJV EL Elyon means The God Most High http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=H5945&t=KJV Moroni does NOT have the name of God or EL in his name. So therefore he does NOT belong, nor is he associated with Almighty God.
Listen to the introduction moroni gave to smith. It said he was sent from out of the presence of God. The only angels sent out of the “presence” of His are those cast out.
For the ITBN I checked it and it does not work. Go to itbn.org and in the search bar put in this, “Angels and Demons” and it will pull up only one show. Make sure you include the quotations around the words. Please watch it. Thank You and God Bless You. The other ones do work,I checked those.
What might Jesus say to a Mormon?
How about “I love you, I’m coming to your house for dinner.