The first time a Mormon attends the LDS temple endowment ceremony he/she will be given a new name. These will supposedly be their names in eternity. The wife must tell her husband her new name, and no one else, as he is supposed to call her up by name in the resurrection. If he does not call her up she would still resurrect, but not as his wife. The husband is instructed not to share his new name with anyone, including his wife. (Great way to start a marriage...why would God force a husband to keep a secret from his wife?) LDS Apostle Charles W. Penrose explained how the righteous LDS husband will call his wife from the grave: In the resurrection, they [men and women] stand side by side and hold dominion together. Every man who overcomes all things and is thereby entitled to inherit all things, receives power to bring up his wife to join him in the possession and enjoyment thereof. In the case of a man marrying a wife in the everlasting covenant [LDS temple endowment ceremony] who dies while he continues in the flesh and marries another by the same divine law, each wife will come forth in her order and enter with him into his glory. (“Mormon” Doctrine Plain and Simple, or Leaves from the Tree of Life, by Charles W. Penrose, p.66, 1897, Salt Lake City, UT.) Most mormons assume their new name is special and divinely inspired. I beg to differ. These names are not sacred and they are not even secret anymore. This website allows you to look up your secret name by the date of your endowment ceremony. http://www.fullerconsideration.com/templenameoracle.phpEvery man that goes through any LDS temple today will be given the new name: Shem. And every female: Martha. They rotate the names on a daily basis. And they use the same generic recycled names for about 10 years! If the patron's first name happens to be the "name of the day", their new name defaults to Adam or Eve; this ensures that everyone's "new name" isn't the same as their "old name." It's hard to believe that I once cherished my new name. I thought it was from God. I never shared it with anyone for fear that I'd have to slit my throat or I'd get struck by lightening. My secret temple name was Julia. Had I gone to the temple a day earlier it would have been Dinah. A day later, it would be Ruth. I'm sure this information will be shocking and offensive to active mormons. My intention is not to offend any one but to expose the LDS church for the fraud that it is. There is such freedom in finding out that it was all a lie. That I don't have to keep stupid secrets anymore. I've heard a man joke that if his wife burned another pot roast, he would not call her up by name on the day of the resurrection. How ridiculous is that? Mormons believe the only way you can live in God's presence in heaven is to be married in the temple. LDS women, you do NOT have to depend on your husband for exaltation! You don't even have to pay your way to heaven! (LDS members have to pay 10% of their income to even be able to go to the temple to get married). The truth is that single people will actually be able to be with God in Heaven. Coffee drinkers can spend eternity with God too! Even black people who weren't allowed to enter LDS temples before 1978!! Our salvation is not based on remembering secret names or passwords or handshakes or tokens. It is not based on any temple ritual. It isn't based on any works at all. To spend eternity with God you must realize that you are a sinner.The Bible says that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God ( Rom. 3:23). The only way to be saved is by faith in Jesus Christ ( Eph. 2:8-9; Rom. 5:1). You must trust in what Jesus did on the cross to forgive you of your sins and not trust anything else, not even your own sincerity or works. Jesus is the one who died for the sins of the world ( 1 John 2:2). He is the only way to the God the Father ( John 14:6). He alone reveals God ( Matt. 11:27). He has all authority in heaven and earth ( Matt. 28:18). It is only through Him that you can be saved from God's wrath ( Eph. 2:3). Jesus is the One you need. Ask Him to forgive you, to come into your heart, and to wash you clean from your sins. Pray to Jesus. Seek Him. Ask Him to save you.He will. I would like to note, that the Jesus of Mormonism (the brother of the devil), can not save you. Only the Jesus of the Bible can save. Sources for this blog and additional information can be found here:http://www.utlm.org/newsletters/no98.htm#Husband%20to%20Call%20Wifehttp://packham.n4m.org/covenant.htmhttp://www.mormonthink.com/temple.htm#namehttp://packham.n4m.org/temples3.htmhttp://carm.org/how-does-someone-become-saved
1.) Are the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost One God or Three Gods? Book of Mormon says One God, Joseph Smith said Three Gods 2.) Has God Always Existed from all Eternity? Book of Mormon says Yes, Joseph Smith said no 3.) Does God Dwell in the Heart of the Righteous? Book of Mormon says Yes, D & C says No 4.) Is God the Father a Personage of “Spirit” or an Exalted “Man”? Lectures of Faith and Book of Mormon says “SPIRIT”, D & C and Joseph Smith Jr said “MAN” 5.) Are There Two or Three Personages Governing the Universe? Lectures of Faith says two, Joseph Smith Jr. said three 6.) Should We Pray to Jesus Christ? Book of Mormon says Yes, Bruce R. McConkie said No 7.) Should We Worship Jesus Christ? Book of Mormon says Yes, President George Q. Cannon said No 8.) Does God Forgive Us for Murder? Book of Mormon says Yes, D & C says No 9.) Do Babies Who Die Grow in the Spirit World? Joseph Smith said No, Joseph F Smith said Yes 10.) Is there only one God or many Gods? Book of Mormon says one, Bruce R. McConkie says many 11.) Is there a second chance after death? Book of Mormon refutes babtism for the dead- said no second chance, D & C says yes and baptism for the dead is an ordinace of the church 12.) Is polygamy doctrinal? Gordon B. Hinckley said no, D & C says yes 13.) Does God Change? Book of Mormon says no, Joseph Smith and Brigham Young said yes 14.) Can one who does not hold the Priesthood see the "face of God"? D & C says no, Joseph Smith claimed to see Him in his first vision before he held the priesthood 15.) Can the temple ordinances be changed? Joseph Smith said no, but LDS church leaders have made several changes 16.) Are Adam and Michael the same personages, or different? D&C 27:11 (and the Endowment ceremony in the Mormon temple) says they are the same, In a vision which Joseph Smith recorded in his diary for Jan 21, 1836, he "saw father Adam and Abraham and Michael...", naming them as separate personages 17.) Is Adam the same personage as God the Father? Brigham Young said yes, Spencer W. Kimball said no and Bruce R. McConkie referred to the "utter absurdity of this doctrine" and called it "totally false" 18.) How was Jesus conceived? Book of Mormon Alma 7:10 prophesies that Christ would be born of Mary, "...she being a virgin... who shall be overshadowed and conceive by the power of the Holy Ghost..." but Apostle Bruce R. McConkie wrote: "Christ was begotten by an Immortal Father in the same way that mortal men are begotten by mortal fathers." (Mormon Doctrine, 1966 ed, 546-547) 19.) What happens to those who teach false doctrine? Book of Mormon 2 Ne 28:15 says teachers of false doctrine will go to hell: "...all those who preach false doctrines,.., wo, wo, wo, be unto them, saith the Lord God Almighty, for they shall be thrust down to hell!" but Apostle McConkie says that Brigham Young will go to the Celestial Kingdom, even though he taught false doctrine: "He completed his work and has gone on to eternal exaltation... 20.) Can a revelation contradict or rescind an earlier revelation? Joseph Smith said no: one of the tests of a false revelation is that it contradicts an earlier revelation. (TJS p 215) but Ezra Taft Benson said The Living Prophet is more important to us than a dead prophet... Beware of those who would pit the dead prophets against the living prophets, for the living prophets always take precedence." 21.) Who created the world? Moses 2 says "I, God [created everything]..." but Abraham 4 says "they (the Gods) [created everything]". 22.) What happens to people who die before having had a chance to hear the gospel? D&C 137:7-8 says they will go to the celestial kingdom but Alma 34:32-35 says that those who do not repent before death are eternally lost" 23.) Is murder a forgivable sin? 3 Nephi 30:2 & Alma 39:6 say that murder is forgivable but D&C 42:18 says murder is not forgivable. 24.) Where was the Garden of Eden located? D&C 116 says it was located at "Adam-ondi-Ahman", near Spring Hill, Missouri but Moses 3:10-15, corresponding to Joseph Smith's "Inspired" translation of Genesis 2:10-15) says it was located in the vicinity of Assyria and Ethiopia and the Euphrates River 25.) Will people be punished for the sins of their ancestors? The second "Article of Faith" says that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for someone else's transgression but The Book of Mormon teaches that the Lamanites were cursed with a dark skin because of the sins of their ancestors, a curse which the church teaches is the explanation for the dark skin of the Native Americans, even those who are righteous members of the church 26.) What was the name of the angel who appeared to Joseph Smith in 1823 and later delivered to him the gold plates from which the Book of Mormon was translated? Most Mormons believe his name was "Moroni," as reported in modern editions of the PoGP (JS-History 1:33) but The earliest reports by Joseph Smith and others gave his name as "Nephi" (a completely different character in the BoM who supposedly lived a thousand years before Moroni), including the 1851 edition of the PoGP, the 1853 biography of Smith by his mother (Biographical Sketches of Joseph Smith p 79), and two early Mormon periodicals The Millennial Star 3:53, 71, and Times and Seasons 3:749, 753 (the latter personally edited by Smith himself). 27.) Is God's love unconditional? Apostle Marvin J. Ashton said YES but Apostle Russell M. Nelson said NO 28.) What is the "first principle" of the gospel? The "Articles of Faith," Article 4, says that the first principles are: "first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism...; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost." but Joseph Smith said: "It is the first principle of the Gospel to know for a certainty the character of God and to know...that he was once a man like us..." ("King Follett Discourse," Journal of Discourses 6:3-4, also in Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 342-345) 29.) Is the Book of Mormon real history? The official church website says YES:"Latter-day Saints also consider the Book of Mormon to be a record of great ancient-American civilizations." but Apostle Russell M. Nelson said NO:"...invite a friend to read the Book of Mormon. Explain that it is not a novel or a history book." 30.) What about "Secret combinations"? "Secret combinations" requiring secret oaths are condemned. (Mormon 8:27, 40, 2 Nephi 26:22, Helaman 6:22) but Salvation in the highest heaven ("exaltation") requires undergoing the "endowment" initiation ceremony in a temple, the details of which are kept strictly secret. The participants are required to take numerous oaths, which are also secret. Documentation and sources for all of the above statements can be found here~ http://4mormon.org/mormon-contradictions.php#s1ahttp://4mormon.org/mormon-book-bible.phphttp://www.utlm.org/onlineresources/ldsleadersbelievepolygamyinheaven.htmhttp://packham.n4m.org/contra.htmhttp://packham.n4m.org/bomvslds.htm
Please feel free to post additional sites as a comment!
Warren Jeffs, false prophet of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints was convicted of felony counts of child sexual assault in 2011 and was sentenced to life in prison plus 20 years and a $10,000 fine.
The FLDS Church was founded in the early twentieth century when the founders deemed the position of LDS Church on the issue of ending polygamy to be apostate.
The legacy of polygamy that Joseph Smith started in the early 1830's is unfortunately still going strong.
LDS Polygamy Facts Derived 100% from Church-Friendly Sources. The basic facts are as follows: - 1831 -- Joseph Smith receives plural marriage revelation, though it remains unrecorded.
- Between 1833 - 1835 -- Joseph marries Fanny Alger.
- 1835 -- In the 1835 version of the D&C, Section 101:4 , it declares, "Inasmuch as this church of Christ has been reproached with the crime of fornication, and polygamy: we declare that we believe, that one man should have one wife; and one woman, but one husband."
- 1838 -- Oliver Cowdery is excommunicated, at least in part, for accusing Joseph Smith of adultery with Fanny Alger.
- 1841 -- Joseph begins taking plural wives in earnest.
- 1842 -- Joseph attempts to take Sidney Rigdon's daughter to wife, and she refuses. Though a member of the 1st Presidency, Rigdon never accepted the teaching of plural marriage.
- 1842 -- Church-owned Times and Seasons denies the practice of polygamy, declaring: "We declare that we believe, that one man should have one wife; and one woman, but one husband, except in case of death, when either is at liberty to marry again."
- 1844 -- By the end of his life, Joseph had married between 30 and 50 women.
- Between 8 and 11 of these women were married to other living men at the time of their sealings to Joseph. Examples include: Mary Elizabeth Rollins, Zina Diantha Huntington, and Fanny Young (Brigham Young's sister).
- Many of these women were under the age of 18. Examples include: Helen Mar Kimball (14), Sarah Lawrence (16), Sarah Ann Whitney (16), Nancy Maria Winchester (between 15-16), Lucy Walker (16)
- Some were sisters: Emily Dow Partridge & Eliza Maria Partridge and Maria & Sarah Lawrence
- 1844 -- In the History of the Church Vol. 6, Joseph Smith denies practicing polygamy. "What a thing it is for a man to be accused of committing adultery, and having seven wives, when I can only find one."
- June 7, 1844 -- William Law, 2nd counselor in the 1st presidency, leaves the church over polygamy and Joseph's denial of it. Soon thereafter, he publishes the 1st and only edition of the Nauvoo Expositor, which claims 1st-hand testimony from several sources that Joseph was practicing polygamy, counter to his public denials.
- June 11, 1844 -- Joseph orders the destruction of the Nauvoo Expositor printing press
- June 25, 1844 -- Joseph's ordered destruction of the printing press catalyzed events that ultimately resulted in his being jailed for Treason.
- June 27, 1844 -- Joseph and Hyrum martyred.
- 1845 -- Times and Seasons again denies the practice of polygamy.
- 1851 -- Brigham Young acknowledges polygamy in a meeting of the Utah Legislature.
- 1852 -- Brigham Young, for the first time, publicly acknowledges the practice of polygamy.
- 1852 - 1890 -- The U.S. Federal Government heavily pressures LDS Church to cease polygamy.
- 1866 -- Brigham Young declares that, " The only men who become Gods, even the Sons of God, are those who enter into polygamy. Others attain unto a glory and may even be permitted to come into the presence of the Father and the Son; but they cannot reign as kings in glory, because they had blessing offered unto them, and they refused to accept them. "
- 1890 -- Wilford Woodruff announces revelation postponing the practice of polygamy.
- 1890 - 1904 -- Polygamous marriages continue. A few examples of polygamous marriages made post-manifesto found on LDS church owned FamilySearch.org include: Amelia Carling to James Duffin , Hannah Grover to Victor Hegsted , Margaret Cutis to B.H. Roberts, etc. There are many, many others.
The LDS church practiced polygamy from 1843-1890. It only stopped because Prophet Wilford Woodruff had a revelation in which the divine practice of polygamy was not to be stopped, but to be put on hold. Critics say what a coincidence that Woodruff got a revelation to stop polygamy while the Government was pursuing polygamists. The Edmunds Act was passed in 1882. This enabled the Government to prosecute Mormons who participated in Polygamy and also for 'Unlawful Cohabitation'. The Mormons ignored this law, which was easy considering how isolated they were from everyone else. John Taylor, the third prophet went into hiding when there was a warrant out for his arrest in 1885. After a year of hiding, LDS President Taylor, showed the government his defiance of the law by marrying a 26-year-old while he was a whopping 78 years old! The Government was getting restless with the Saints rebellion by passing the Edmunds-Tucker Bill in 1887. This bill would intentionally bankrupt the church because of its polygamy practices. In 1890 the Government succeeded in seizing the church's holdings. At this point the fourth president, Woodruff, saw that the Kingdom of God had no choice but to surrender to Washington's demands.
Mormon leaders taught that until 1978 blacks were denied the priesthood because they were from the lineage of Cain, who was cursed with a black skin after killing his brother Abel. The church claimed that people who were born with black skin were less valiant in the pre-existence. The 10th prophet of the LDS church, Joseph Fielding Smith wrote, "It was well understood by the early elders of the Church that the mark which was placed on Cain and which his posterity inherited was the black skin. The Book of Moses informs us that Cain and his descendants were black" ( The Way to Perfection, p.107). He also said...."Not only was Cain called upon to suffer, but because of his wickedness he became the father of an inferior race" ( The Way to Perfection, p.101). Brigham Young, 2nd prophet of the mormon church taught: "You see some classes of the human family that are black, uncouth, un- comely, disagreeable and low in their habits, wild, and seemingly deprived of nearly all the blessings of the intelligence that is generally bestowed upon mankind. The first man that committed the odious crime of killing one of his brethren will be cursed the longest of any one of the children of Adam. Cain slew his brother. Cain might have been killed, and that would have put a termination to that line of human beings. This was not to be, and the Lord put a mark upon him, which is the flat nose and black skin. (Journal of Discourses 7:290-291, October 9, 1859) In a sermon given on March 8, 1863, Young gave this warning: "Shall I tell you the law of God in regard to the African race? If the white man who belongs to the chosen seed mixes his blood with the seed of Cain, the penalty, under the law of God, is death on the spot. This will always be so" ( Journal of Discourses, 10:110). Third LDS President John Taylor claimed that it was God's plan to allow the seed of Cain to remain on the earth in order for the devil to be properly represented. On August 28, 1881, he declared, "And after the flood we are told that the curse that had been pronounced upon Cain was continued through Ham's wife, as he had married a wife of that seed. And why did it pass through the flood? Because it was necessary that the devil should have a representation upon the earth as well as God" ( Journal of Discourses 22:304). The LDS curse upon the Blacks had absolutely no biblical justification. This teaching merely reflects the social upbringing and bigotry of early mormon leaders rather than the will of the Christian God. The New Testament proclaims that a person's past has no bearing on what he can receive from our gracious God. The Bible declares that God will not hold past transgressions against those who come to Him by faith. (Isaiah 43:25; Jeremiah 31:34; Romans 4:5-7, 23; Hebrews. 8:12). The church finally lifted the ban in 1978 but offered little explanation and no apology. It's time for LDS church leaders to own up to their former false prophet's ignorant racism and offer a heartfelt, sincere apology. To learn more, please visit: http://www.mrm.org/shame-of-unrepudiated-racist-theologyandhttp://www.mormonthink.com/blackweb.htm#whatmost
Here are just ten examples of how mormonism contradicts the bible. There are countless others as well. 1) Mormons believe they can't fully trust the Bible because it wasn't translated correctly and because many plain and precious parts are missing.The Bible teaches: *Isaiah 40:8: "The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever." *Matthew 24:35: "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away." 2) Mormons believe in additional scriptures...The Book of Mormon, The Pearl of Great Price, and The Doctrine & Covenants.The Bible teaches: *Proverbs 30:5-6: "Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar." 3) Mormons believe that you should pray about whether the Book of Mormon or church is true and simply rely on the "burning in the bossom" to give you the answer. The Bible warns against this.The Bible teaches: *Proverbs 14:12: "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." *Jeremiah 17:9: "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desparately wicked: who can know it?" 4) Mormons believe in the Law of Eternal Progression...that they may become Gods. The Bible teaches: *Isaiah 43:10-11: "You are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour." *Isaiah 44:6, 8: "Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God... Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any." 5) Mormons believe that God was once a man who earned His way to become a God. The Bible teaches: *Psalm 90:2: "Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God." 6) Mormons believe that God has a body of flesh and bones. The Bible teaches: *John 4:24: "God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." 7) Mormon teachings, doctrines, and even scriptures are always changing. (Blacks were not able to hold the priesthood until 1978, The following temple penalty oaths that mormons had to make if they were ever to share the secrets of the temple were removed in 1990 - "my throat ... be cut from ear to ear, and my tongue torn out by its roots;"
- "our breasts ... be torn open, our hearts and vitals torn out and given to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field;"
- "our body ... be cut asunder and all your bowels gush out."
and there have been over 4,000 changes made to the Book of Mormon (which was supposed to be the most correct of any book on earth). Why all the changes? Did God change his mind? The Bible teaches: *Malachi 3:6: "For I am the LORD, I change not." 8) Mormons believe that God had sexual intercourse with his mortal spirit-daughter Mary to conceive Jesus. The Bible teaches: *Matthew 1:23 "Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us." 9) Mormons believe that Jesus is the literal spirit-brother of Lucifer. Christians believe that Jesus is the eternal Son. He is second person of the Trinity. He has two natures. He is God in flesh and man. *John 1:1 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." *John 1:14 "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." 10) Mormons believe that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do,” (2 Nephi 25:23). The Bible teaches:*Ephesians 2:8-9: "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God - not of works, lest any man should boast."- John 3:16, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.”
- Rom. 3:28, "For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.”
- Rom. 4:5, "But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness,"
- Rom. 9:30, "What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith."
- Rom. 11:6, "But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace."
As a mormon I was taught that the Bible was translated incorrectly, that many plain and precious parts were missing, and that only the leaders of the church could really interpret it. Unfortunately I didn't read the Bible much at all because I didn't know which parts I could trust. Satan is extremely pleased that the leaders of the mormon church have discredited the Word of God and keep the members of the church from reading and believing it. When people don't have knowledge and belief in the true Word of God, they can easily be deceived by false prophets, teachings and doctrines. They can't recognize the deception because they don't have the truth to compare it to.Therefore they blindly follow evil men who claim to have revelations from God, no matter how ridiculous those revelations may be. (One example of such a revelation -In 1843 Joseph Smith prophesied his first and only legal wife Emma would be damned or destroyed by God if she did not accept polygamy). The LDS church has to discredit the Bible because the mormon teachings and doctrines contradict the Word of God in so many ways! Many of those differences are listed here.... http://mit.irr.org/contradictions-between-book-of-mormon-and-bible. Cults alter the Bible- the true foundation. They add their own rules, distorting the Bible’s message. Cults distort God’s rules, changing the Bible’s message. Cults change the Bible text, distorting the message. Cults present an alternate foundation- something separate from the Bible. They follow a false teacher. Cults follow false “sacred writings”. Cults give the same authority (or greater) to another writing as they give to the Bible. The mormon church does all of these! To learn more about cults and the destruction they lead to visit this site. http://www.clarifyingchristianity.com/cult.shtml#present_altIf the Bible is not true or if it is filled with errors, Christianity would only be a "blind faith"- something people believe without any evidence to support it- a faith built more on superstition and personal flights of fancy than on a concrete authority that molds our lives to the Word, rather than molding His words to us. However, Christianity is not a blind faith. It is not superstition. It is the only religion that can prove itself, and the source of that proof is the Bible. There is solid evidence that supports the validity of the Bible. ~ From Loved into the Light by La Vonne Earl. Page 17 http://lovedintothelight.com/The Bible IS the Word of God. God has preserved His word in it's entirety and has warned against adding to it.... Proverbs 30:5-6: "Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto His words, lest He reprove thee, and thou be found a liar." Isaiah 40:8: "The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever." Matthew 24:35: "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away." My life has changed since I started reading and trusting the Word of God. I've learned about God's grace and unconditional love. I've learned what it means to be a true Christian. I've learned about the ONE true God and that Jesus IS enough!. The Word of God is living, it is powerful. It provides answers to our questions and guidance and direction for our lives. We can trust it and stand on God's promises within it. It is the only foundation we should build our faith upon.
The official LDS version of Joseph Smith's first vision cannot be true. It claims that the vision occurred in 1820 and that Smith was stirred by a revival to ask which church was true but no revival took place until 1824 as proved by historical evidence. His mother Lucy recalls his first vision as taking place in his bedroom (not a sacred grove) and that he was visited by an angel. (not Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ).Joseph Smith gave a partial account of the vision in his own handwriting in 1832 that absolutely contradicts the official first vision story he dictated six years later. In this partial account he admits to coming to the conclusion on his own that all the denominations were wrong through bible study. In his later version he claims to be surprised to have learned from the Father and the Son that all the denominations were wrong. Also, in the 1832 version, Smith claims to only have been visited by Christ but in the 1838 version he claimed that both God and Jesus appeared to him.There have actually been 10 different versions of Smith's first vision. You can view all of them here...http://mit.irr.org/joseph-smiths-changing-first-vision-accountsThis clearly shows that Joseph Smith's story of his first vision evolved over time each time he told it and cannot be trusted. All the contradictions lead us to the inevitable conclusion that Smith was not a true prophet and that the first vision was derived from his wild imagination. It was shocking to me to learn that the second prophet of the LDS Church, Brigham Young, did not even believe that the Lord appeared to Joseph Smith as stated in the official first vision version that is now considered scripture by the church! He believed that an angel appeared to Smith instead and preached about it in a sermon that can be found in the Journal of Discourses Vol. 2 pg 171. When witnessing to mormons, please inform them of all these different versions of the first vision. I was completely unaware that there were different versions of the vision until years after I left the church and I don't think it is common knowledge of most mormons. To learn more, visit-http://www.mrm.org/first-vision
I have recently discovered that the mormon faith I had believed in my whole life was based on lies, deception, and ignorance. Learning that was shocking and has led me on a journey for truth and wisdom. Now I am constantly reading, studying, searching for truth and questioning everything. I don't trust anything unless it lines up with the word of God...the Holy Bible.
Just wanted to share with you 30 of my favorite wisdom keys. They come from Mike Murdock's book 101 Wisdom Keys. Take a few moments to ponder each one. I hope they will bless you as much as they have me.
1. The problem that infuriates you the most is the problem that God has assigned you to solve.
2. Those who unlock your compassion are those to whom you have been assigned.
3. What you are willing to walk away from determines what God will bring you to.
4. Your rewards in life are determined by the problems you solve for others.
5. Intolerance of your present creates your future.
6. Those who cannot increase you will inevitably decrease you.
7. You will never leave where you are until you decide where you would rather be.
8. You will only have significant success with something that is an obsession.
9. Your assignment is not your decision but your discovery.
10. You will never change what you believe until your belief system cannot produce something you want.
11. You will never possess what you are unwilling to pursue.
12.Stop looking at where you have been and start looking at where you can be.
13. You will only be remembered for 2 things: The problems you solve or the ones you create.
14. Those who transfer knowledge are also capable of transferring error.
15. Loneliness is not the absence of affection, but the absence of direction.
16. False accusation is the last stage before supernatural promotion.
17. What you repeatedly hear you will eventually believe.
18. God never consults your past to determine your future.
19. What you hate reveals what you were created to correct.
20. Losers focus on what they are going through while champions focus on what they are going to.
21. Each act of obedience shortens the distance to any miracle you are pursuing.
22. Go where you are celebrated instead of where you are tolerated.
23. The broken become masters at mending.
24. What you can tolerate you cannot change.
25. Every relationship in your life is a current moving you toward your dreams or away from them.
26. Your reaction to someone in trouble determines God's reaction to you the next time you get in trouble.
27. When you change your focus you will change your feelings.
28. Those who do not respect your assignment disqualify themselves for a relationship.
29. Silence cannot be misquoted.
30. Patience is the weapon that forces deception to reveal itself.
Please leave a comment with YOUR favorite wisdom key. God bless you!
 Whatever your need is today, whether it is physical, emotional, mental, social, or financial, your solution is found in a greater revelation of Jesus.
When Jesus is unveiled to you in the Scriptures, not only will your heart be bathed in the warmth of His love, but even your physical body will be healed and restored! There are medicinal qualities and healing virtues in seeing Jesus in the Scriptures, as His words are truly "life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh."
While God wants you Jesus-conscious, the devil wants you self-conscious. Turn away from satan's accusations and from yourself and see Jesus. The law, with its focus on doing or not doing, makes you self-conscious. The law is all about your looking at yourself. The new covenant of grace is all about your seeing Jesus. What we need is for the Holy Spirit to unveil to us revelations and hidden gems about Jesus and His finished work.
It is all about seeing Jesus, because from Him comes every supply and provision. Look to Him for direction. Look to Him all the time. As long as Peter kept his eyes on Jesus, he could walk on water. But once he looked away from Jesus and looked instead at the storm, the challenges, and the stressful circumstances, he started to sink.
Anybody who doesn't focus on Jesus Christ and His finished work has neither the wisdom of God nor the power of God. The devil is afraid of any church that preaches Jesus Christ on the cross because he knows that when people know how God sent His only begotten Son to die on the cross for them, they will see that they have a merciful God who loves them unconditionally. The will know the Truth and the Truth will set them free!
Stop being preoccupied with yourself and your self efforts and disqualifying yourself. Start being occupied with Jesus and His finished work. You have a wonderful Savior. Look away from your own wounds and hurts, and look to Jesus, who will save you!
Those were my favorite parts of Chapter 15 in a book by Joseph Prince called "Destined to Reign". This book has taught me a lot about God's grace and unconditional love. As a mormon for most of my life, I knew nothing about God's grace. As a result, I spent years of living with depression, anxiety, and guilt. I longed to feel close to God and have a personal relationship with my savior but couldn't. I always felt God was unapproachable. Like I was never worthy enough to feel His presence.
The mormon religion demands perfection. I tried so hard to be perfect, to keep all of the commandments. I read a book by Spencer W. Kimball called "The Miracle of Forgiveness" which filled me with fear and hoplessness. Even though I was pretty good at keeping the commandments... I mostly worried about my sins of omission. I felt extreme guilt when I didn't do my visiting teaching or didn't read the book of mormon.
Now, I realize that all the of the things I used to think were sins of omission which cause me years of guilt and despair.. weren't even sins at all! God didn't ask or expect me to hold family home evening every Monday night or keep a year supply of food storage! Those were all man made rules and regulations that were meant to control me.
What my REAL sins were all those years was believing in a false gospel! Serving a false God...one that doesn't even exist. Blindly following a false prophet! Not completely trusting the true, living word of God- The Holy Bible! Trying to earn my own exaltation and not depending on Christ, and Christ alone!
Now that I have found the truth and have been saved and become a born again Christian...I have the joy and peace that only an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ can bring. I have taken all the focus off of me and put it where it belongs- on JESUS! There is power in the name of Jesus... There is healing in the name of Jesus... There is restoration in the name of Jesus!!
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